


Look At Where We Started

by Potterhead2468



Series: And When Our Children Tell Our Stories [1]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alex and Laf both have vry tragic backstories, Alex has anxiety, Alex is a protective mother hen, Alex is having a hard time biting his tongue, Heavy Angst, Homelessness, I love him tbh, Laf is a precious cinnamon roll that is far too happy, Laf is confused and alone and knows no English, Major Character Injury, Near Death Experiences, Temporary Character Death, Trans Elizabeth Sanders, Washingdad is coming, also, but only like in certain chapters, protect these children pls, so does laf, sort of??, there's also some fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-07
Updated: 2017-05-17
Packaged: 2018-05-26 15:12:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 32,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6244732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Potterhead2468/pseuds/Potterhead2468
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alexander and Lafayette came from two entirely different worlds, but somehow, someway they both ended up in the same place: Homeless, alone in the streets of New York City, with nowhere left to run but to each other. They say the strongest bonds are made to those you go through the worst times with, and for them it had never been more true.<br/>But life isn't easy on the streets, things can only go right for so long before they come crashing down again.<br/>And when they do, Lafayette and Alex both find that their lives will never be the same again. </p><p>Or the story of how Alexander met Lafayette, and what happened to them before they had a home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Ten Survival Commandments of Alexander Hamilton and Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gibet du Motier de Lafayette

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And as he drifted off into sleep, Alex whispered the one thing he hadn’t yet told Lafayette. “You are the best birthday present I have ever got.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anything in italics is in French. As usual Lafayette pronounces Alexander Alexandre. 
> 
> Before we go into this story, I wanted to let all of you know that this isn't meant to be a happy story. Yes there are moments of fluff, moments of happiness for our boys, but they're not moments that last.   
> That's because this story is the story of two boys living on the streets. It's not easy out there for homeless youth, they face a lot of problems, and I want to try and reflect that as much as possible in this story.   
> As far as I know everything that happens here very well could happen in real life. There are things here that happen on the streets every day that we don't see.   
> I want to give you the best story I can, but I'm also going to try and stay as true to reality as I can.   
> One day Alex and Lafayette will get their happy ending. But it isn't going to be an easy road for them to reach.
> 
> With that said, let's begin our story.

Two weeks. It had been two weeks since Alex had arrived in America, arrived in New York City and found himself alone on the streets there. Two weeks since he had arrived, a week since he had started school, and still no one expected a thing. People hardly gave him a second glance in the hallway (for once being short was some kind of advantage), teachers never called on him in class because he played the shy card, no one wanted to make friends with the weird new immigrant and Alex hardly went out of his way to encourage them. After all, he was trying to hide.

But just because Alex wasn't drawing attention to himself (A hard thing truthfully. Alex has lost count how many times he had to bite his lip until it bleed to stop himself from breaking into any argument to shut everyone down with how wrong they were), it didn't mean he wasn't paying attention. Alex watched. He always watched. He studied every student in the school, figured out quickly which ones to avoid and which ones weren't so bad. Just because he wasn't willing to make friends didn't mean he didn't want to keep tabs on people he could potentially talk to one day.

There was one person in particular that caught Alex's attention that Friday afternoon after his first full week of high school. Alex had seen them around school before now, it was hard to miss someone who spoke solely in French and spent most of their time alone, but it wasn't either of those things that caught Alex's attention that afternoon. Instead, it was the look on his face, the bags under his eyes, the disheveled state of his clothes and the way he looked over his shoulder anxiously every few seconds. He looked, he acted just as Alex did the first time he found himself out in the street out in Nevis. Alex knew that walk. He knew that walk. He knew exactly what that kid was going through.

Maybe it was because he felt bad for the other boy, maybe it was because he knew what he was going through, or maybe Alex had just become lonely, but whatever the reason, by the end of the school day, Alex had convinced himself to at least talk to the kid. And if he could, Alex was going to help him. He knew all too well what being alone on the streets was like.

After all, he had been doing it for almost two years now. And living on the streets was much easier in Nevis.

* * *

Two months. It had been two months since Lafayette arrived in America, alone and knowing hardly any English, scared out of his mind both by the new country and by the state of things in France when he left. And by things, Lafayette meant the state of his father's life, which wasn't looking hopeful at the time Lafayette left.

Two months in America in Lafayette still knew little English. None of the teachers were trying very hard to help him learn it, Lafayette knew no one at school, and it seemed to him that no one in this whole goddamn country even knew how to speak French. He was alone, scared in a world he hardly understood and now, he was homeless as well.

It happened on Wednesday. Lafayette came back to the hotel he was staying at the afternoon from school, only to have someone explain in butchered French that his stay was up. They gave him the things collected from his room, and Lafayette fled the hotel before anyone could stop him.

That night, Lafayette fell asleep in the park in New York City. Alone, cold, and terrified of what the future next would bring him. All of Laf's being wanted to go back to France again. To return home.

But Lafayette had no way of returning and even if he did he knew: Going back home would only result in his death.

So Lafayette slept on the park bench. And the next morning he went to school as if nothing was wrong.

No one asked questions. No one cared. He was just the invisible exchange student who spoke no English.

Well, he was invisible to most of them anyways.

* * *

Alex hadn't meant to run into the kid, really. He has spent all of his last period thinking of ways he could approach the boy, and running into him was not it.

But Alex was Alex, and he easily got distracted walking through the halls, didn't always watch where he was going.

And so he ran into the other boy. Sent them both falling on their butts in a nearly empty hallway, books and papers from both scattering around them.

Well, it wasn't how Alex planned to meet him but this would have to do.

" _I'm so sorry, are you okay?"_ Alex asked the boy quickly, slipping into French without a second thought as he gathered the things around him _. "I have a tendency to get wrapped up in my thoughts and I just, I didn't see you in so sorry."_

Alex for the first time looked up at the boy across from him, and froze when he saw the look on his face. The tears in his eyes, the way his lip quivered slightly and the general shock that covered his face. Gently, Alex asked him again _"Are you okay?"_

 _"You speak French."_ The boy said slowly, his voice full of awe as he stared at Alex. Alex nodded, his eyebrows furrowing slightly as he stared down at the boy, who was so close to tears yet seemed so happy. But why?

 _"I'm Alexander Hamilton."_ Alex replied instead of asking the question he desperately wanted to know, standing up and offering a hand out to help the other boy up.

 _"I am Lafayette."_ He answered in return, allowing Alex to pull him up before wiping his eyes, laughing slightly embarrassed. _"Forgive me. It is just, it has been so long since I have had someone understand me. No one here seems to know French."_

 _"It can be hard living on your own. With nowhere to go."_ Alex agreed, trying to keep his words vague enough that if his suspicion was wrong he wouldn't give himself away, but direct enough that he could judge Lafayette's reaction to know if he was right. _"New York can be a cold and unforgiving city."_

 _"I know that all too well."_ Lafayette muttered, studying Alex curiously as he stared up at him through his lashes. There was more meaning to the other boys words than he was showing, something deeper Laf couldn't quite place. _"It is a very big city with many people, yet most hardly notice each other."_

 _"Sometimes not being noticed can be a good thing. Especially if you don't want anyone to find you."_ Alex said carefully, watching the way Lafayette's eyes widened slightly in understanding, panic flashing across the other boy's face when he continued _"Like if you are trying to hide in plain sight."_

 _"W-What do you mean?"_ Lafayette asked, looking around the now empty hallway, chewing nervously on his lip as Alex answered

 _"Lafayette, I know you're homeless."_ Alex's voice was gentle, and so was his touch as he gently placed a comforting hand on the boy's arm, the way his mother used to when he got upset. _"It's okay, I am too."_

Lafayette stared at Alex in shock for a moment, not saying anything, and panic washed over Alex as he realized he might have read the entire situation wrong. He was just about to say something else when suddenly Lafayette was launching himself at Alex, clinging onto him a hug, crying softly into his shoulder. _"Oh Alexander, I have no idea what I am supposed to do."_

Alex, who had at first stumbled under Lafayette's hug quickly wrapped his arms back around the other boy, pulling him tight to his chest as he tried to think of words to comfort him. Luckily, words had always been Alex's strong suit, even if emotions weren't. _"I don't know either Lafayette, but I know that we will figure it out together, okay? You're not going to be alone anymore. Because now, now you and I have each other. It'll be us against the world, and if I know anything Lafayette it is that immigrants get the job done."_

* * *

After Lafayette finally calmed down, the two gathered their things before walking out of the school, some of the last people to exit that afternoon. They walked close enough that their hands brushed together every so often, until eventually Alex grabbed hold of Lafayette, intertwining their fingers as they walked across the street, so that he could lead Laf to his hideout without fear of losing him in the crowd. Besides, even though Lafayette was no longer crying Alex could see he was still overwhelmed, and hoped that by holding hands he could provide the younger boy with at least some level of comfort.

Which was especially needed as Alex led Lafayette further away from town, away from the bustle of the people and the speeding cars, until finally they reached an old bridge. One that no cars nor people seemed to pass over or under, covered in vines from lack of care and use. The wear of the toad suggested it had once been a popular route to take, but the way weeds grew in cracks in the road and the sight of faded graffiti made Lafayette realize it must not have been used for years.

" _They built more efficient routes to take, I guess. It's a pretty small bridge, built when there wasn't a lot of traffic. Every car used to have to drive this way, but now it's faster not to."_ Alex explained when Lafayette asked about the lack of cars, leading the boy behind the center pillar, where he had made his makeshift home over the past two weeks. _"No one comes close enough to see us, we are essentially hidden from sight here."_

 _"Mon ami, you are brilliant."_ Lafayette declared, kissing Alexander lightly on the cheek in approval as he looked around the small space, nodding his head to himself before he added _. "I would have never thought to hide like this. You are much better at this then I am Alexander."_

 _"I've been doing it longer than you have._ " Alex said, looking away from Lafayette as he did so, scuffing his shoe on the ground as a way of distraction. _"You'll get the hang of it the longer you are out here. I could give you some guidelines though, you know if you wanted, to help you out."_

The suggestion came out slightly timid, but Lafayette took to it instantly, clapping his hands together excitedly at the prospect, and with a blinding smile replied all too enthusiastically _"Like a set of rules? Oh Alexander would you please? It would be so helpful to know what to do."_

 _"Of course Lafayette, anything for you."_ Alex nodded, knowing even as he said the words that they were far truer than Laf would ever know. They may have only known each other for a short time, but already Alex felt both protective over and powerless to the younger boy. And Alex had a feeling he was going to have a very hard time telling Lafayette no. _"We'll write them down okay? So that no matter what we'll have them."_

Alexander pulled out a piece of paper from his book bag, sitting with his back to the middle pillar, smoothing it onto the ground between him and Lafayette. And here he began to write:

**_The Ten Survival Commandments of Alexander Hamilton and_ **

Alex paused, looking up at Lafayette, waiting for the other boy to supply his full name for the paper. Lafayette blushed as soon as he realized what Alex wanted, but took the pen anyways when he was offered, writing his full name in small but neat handwriting in the spot Alex had left.

 _"Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de Lafayette." A_ lex read when Lafayette turned the paper back towards him. Alex frowned slightly at the name, before lifting up his head to look at Laf, who was fidgeting slightly embarrassed _. "Why in the world is your name so long?"_

 _"It is a symbol of status. The more names you have, the fancier you are. At least, that is what they say."_ Lafayette explained, avoiding Alexander's look, not yet ready to answer the questions he knew his new friend must have racing through his mind at the moment. _"It is a tradition that dates back many centuries. But please mon ami, can we not talk about it right now? I just would like to focus on this first if you do not mind."_

 _"You can tell me whenever you're ready Lafayette. I'll be here to listen."_ Alex promised, squeezing the younger boy's hand briefly, causing Laf to smile weakly at him in return.

Then Alex picked up his pen, and he started to do what he did best. Alex began to write.

* * *

**_The Ten Survival Commandments of Alexander Hamilton and Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de Lafayette_ **

**_Number 1: We stick together. Above all else, we will stay side by side. It will be us against the world._ **

**_Number 2: Blend into the background. The less people notice you, the less you have a chance of being caught._ **

**_Number 3: Learn how to defend yourself. Things can get rough on the streets, and it’s important to know how to defend off any attackers just in case._ **

**_Number 4: If one of us is caught and the other can get away, they must get away. They must save themselves if possible._ **

**_Number 5: We must never lie to each other. Especially over something that could cost us our lives._ **

**_Number 6: We must also trust each other, sometimes blindly so. In order for us to survive, we must trust each other above all else._ **

**_Number 7: Thou shall not get caught (stealing). Get what you can and then get away._ **

**_Number 8: Be aware of your surroundings at all time. The easiest way to be caught or to get hurt is to be caught unaware._ **

**_Number 9: Love each other. Love each other and protect each other above all else._ **

**_Number 10: Stay Alive._ **

* * *

When Alex finished the rules he stuck it on the pillar on which they were leaning, before he settled down beside Lafayette with a satisfied smile. The younger boy gave him a bright smile in return, before turning and pulling out a very fluffy blanket from his bag (that Alex honestly had no idea how he fit in there). A blanket that just happened to look exactly like the French Flag.

Alex paused for a second, staring at the blanket as Lafayette spread it over the two of them to stay warm. After a moment though, Alex asked him “ _Okay two things: One, how did you get this in your bag? And two, why is it the exact pattern of the French Flag?”_

 _“I am very good at folding and stuffing things into my bag.”_ Lafayette answered the first question with a proud smirk that faded as he thought of the answer to the second question. Laf’s eyes drifted down the blanket as he continued to speak, so that Alex wouldn’t notice that tears that had started to pool in his eyes. _“It is shaped like our flag so that I would have a reminder of home when I was so far away. It was the last gift my father gave me before I left.”_

A silence fell over the pair as Alex stared at Lafayette who continued to stare down at his blanket, trying to keep himself from crying. After a few minutes Alex, against his better judgment, scooted closer to Lafayette, wrapping an arm around the younger boy and pulling him gently against his side. In return Lafayette laid his head down on Alex’s shoulder, his tears slowly trickling out of his eyes and onto Alex’s shirt.

 _“Laf?”_ Alex’s voice was small and hesitant, something so very unusual for Alexander Hamilton, but even he could tell that what he was going to ask next could cause a lot of backlash. But he had to ask. After all, he would never know if he didn’t _. “You don’t have to but, will you please tell me why you came to America? It just, it seems like your father loves you a lot, so I don’t understand why he would send you so far away.”_

 _“My father loves me dearly Alexander. I was an only child, my mother died when I was young and I was all he had left of her. And it is because he loved me so that he sent me here.”_ Lafayette reached up with one hand to wipe his tears, but didn’t lift his head even as he spoke, meaning he didn’t see the confused look Alex gave him at his explanation. But just because he couldn’t see it didn’t mean Laf didn’t know it was there. He did. And so, he continued _“Around my birthday last year, my father began to receive death threats both against him and against myself. He was the President of the Senate, my father, still is as far as I know. He’s a very important man, many believe he could become our next President if he wanted.”_

 _“Of course, with all that power comes enemies. My father had always had people who disliked him, but never had we gotten threats like this. My father became more and more worried for my safety, but it wasn’t until October when they stumbled across a plan to kill me that my father decided I needed to leave. It took many weeks of planning, of leaving decoy trails and hiding me before I finally made it to America. My father believed here above all other places I could be safe.”_ Lafayette ran his hand lightly over his blanket, sighing sadly as he thought of his home, of his France. He missed it so dearly, every day away from it felt like a little more of his heart was being torn out. _“This blanket was meant to keep me safe until the day I was reunited with my father. But as the months have passed, it has seemed more and more as if that will never happen.”_

 _“I’m so sorry Lafayette.”_ Alex replied softly, rubbing Lafayette’s arm gently as he tried to think of something, to think of anything to provide comfort to the younger boy. Anything to make him feel a little less alone. _“I wish I knew what to say to make you feel better, but I’ve never been good at comforting people. My mom was, though. She used to always know what to say to make someone feel better no matter what was going on. And she always knew when words weren’t necessary. I’m not like that. I always talk too much, I never know when to shut up and I’m too abrasive to provide any real comfort.”_

 _“I think you are doing wonderfully, mon ami.”_ Lafayette assured Alex, placing a gentle kiss on the older boy’s cheek before angling his head to look up at him _. “Perhaps you could use your words to distract me. You could tell me about your mother, and about how you got here.”_

 _“My mother was the strongest person you could have ever met, Lafayette. Truly, she had gone through so much by the time she had me, life never seemed to give her a break and yet she still never backed down once. She was always smiling, always happy and laughing, even when we hardly had anything to eat, even when we couldn’t keep a shelter over our heads, my mother would always smile and tell me ‘It will get better, Alexander. We’re still alive, still fighting, and someday it will be better’. She had endless optimism, my mother, up until the day she died she was sure it would be better for us someday.” A_ s Alex spoke of his mom tears began to pool in his eyes, and he quickly wiped them away before Lafayette could notice. He wasn’t going to cry. He had already cried about it far too much. He need to be strong now _. “I was twelve when she died. We both had gotten really sick, and we could only afford enough medicine for one of us. My mother insisted I be the one to take it. The last thing she did before she died was make me promise that one day I would do something great in the world. That I would make something of myself. I promised her I would, and it was then that I knew someday I would have to leave Nevis behind.”_

 _“I had no idea how I was going to get out. I thought of a few different ways, began taking odd jobs to make money around the island, but it wasn’t until the beginning of December last year that I saw my out.” A_ lex squeezed his eyes shut tightly, as memories of the hurricane last year came flooding back towards, washing over his body like waves. The crack of the thunder, the howling of the wind and the feeling of water pelting his entire body. The flashes of lightning seemed all too real, and so did the feeling of floating, of being thrown around on the waves as he tried not to drown, tried to stay alive. It was all too real-

Alex forced his eyes open, gasping for air, his whole body shaking as he exited his memory and entered the real world again. Beside him Lafayette had scooted away just slightly, and was now staring back at him with the most concerned look Alex had ever seen. Laf didn’t say anything though, only opened his arms to allow the smaller boy to climb into them, holding his shaking frame to his. Lafayette didn’t ask what had just happened, and after a moment, Alex explained.

 _“There was a hurricane. A really bad one. It destroyed the entire island of Nevis, all expect for the church in the middle of town. So many people died, entire families were wiped out by the floods and the wind and the destruction. Most everyone else was injured, including myself. I had been with my friend, Edward, at the time, we were inside of his house when the flooding started. And the water, it just began to rise so quickly. We tried to stay together, but the water was rising so fast and soon we were being swept away. I couldn’t swim, Edward knew I couldn’t swim, and so he tried his best save me. I dislocated my shoulder as we were jostled along, and just when I thought I was going to drown Edward saved me. Picked me up and threw me towards a floating piece a wood I could climb on for safety. When I looked back, Edward was gone.”_ Alex let out a quiet sob, burying his face in Lafayette’s chest, unable to hold himself together any longer. He sobbed and Lafayette held him tightly, humming old French lullabies until Alex calmed himself down, and lifted his head to speak again. _“Three days after the hurricane ended, I drifted by the church. A member of the Red Cross that had come to help pulled me to safety, they popped my shoulder back into place and led me inside where all the other survivors were. The next day, I did what I did best. I began to write._

 _“I wrote about the hurricane, about the images I couldn’t get out of my head, about Edward and the the island and all the life that had been destroyed. I wrote about what was left, about the destruction and the floating and about how everything was blown away. And then I wrote about the people, the ones left standing. I wrote about their grief, about their loss and the suffering. But most importantly, I wrote about all the hope the people had left. Even after so much had been lost, everyone around me was still determined to see the good. I wrote about how it reminded me of my mother, and how if she was here she would be lighting up the entire room with her hope and her smile. I wrote, and people seemed to like it. My papers started getting passed around, and before I knew it everyone was pooling what little money they had left to get me out.They raised enough for me to book passage on a plane that was New York bound. A Red Cross worker escorted me here, provided me enough cover to get through the airports even though it wasn’t legal for me to do so. Because she and all of Nevis knew that the only way anyone would remember their name was if somebody got out. They put that duty on me, took a bet on me and on my writing because they thought I was their best hope. And one day, I will prove to them all that they made the right choice. I’m not going to let their sacrifice go to waste.”_ Lafayette smiled lightly at the fire now burning in Alexander’s eyes, the determination that lit up the others boy face and took him from looking sad to as if he could take on the world. With that look, Lafayette knew exactly why the people of Nevis betted on Alex. With that look, he could take on the world.

 _“I know you will, mon petit.”_ Lafayette said, kissing Alexander lightly on his forehead before pulling him back into a hug, resting his chin on top of  the older boy’s head. “ _You can do anything.”_

* * *

Lafayette and Alex stayed up talking many more hours about their pasts and about themselves, sitting drifting into laying down, until Laf found himself squished between the pillow and Alex, the latter curled into his side, the blanket tucked around both of them. And still they talked, both yawning but neither quite ready to fall asleep, talking until Alex could hardly keep his eyes upon, and the time in between replies dragged out longer and longer.

Before he could fall asleep completely though Alex caught sight of the time on Lafayette’s watch, and smiled sleepily at the thought that crossed his head. Alex turned his head to share it with Lafayette, but the words died in his throat when he realized the younger boy had finally fallen asleep.

Smiling still, Alex turned and snuggled closer to Laf, sighing contentedly against. For the first time in years, Alex had finally felt like he had a home again. For the first time in years, it seemed to Alex that maybe everything was going to be okay.

And as he drifted off into sleep, Alex whispered the one thing he hadn’t yet told Lafayette. _“You are the best birthday present I have ever got.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It's just the beginning of our adventure, so buckle up because it's going to be a bumpy ride. 
> 
> Next chapter should see Lafayette and Alexander growing to know each other a bit better, featuring Laf's first taste at learning English and Alexander's non existence sleeping habits.  
> So that should be fun. 
> 
> By the way, did any of you catch the Oliver and Company reference? It was truly too good of an opportunity for me to pass up, let me know if you saw it.


	2. Us Against The World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Laf learns a bit of English, and Alex doesn't sleep as much as he should.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This wasn't the chapter I planned but it's the chapter I've written so here we go.

Alex woke up before Lafayette the next morning. He rose with the sun, and whilst the younger boy continued to sleep curled underneath his blanket and safely hidden behind the pillar, Alex slipped away towards the city. It wasn’t that he wanted to leave Lafayette, in fact he felt quite nervous over the thought of leaving him alone when he was still so defenseless to the world, but they needed food. They needed money. And as much as Alex had already grown to care for the boy, he knew if Lafayette came along he would only be a burden.

So, Alex snuck out early that morning to go by himself and get some supplies, praying as he did that Lafayette would be okay when he came back. And if Alex had any luck at all, just maybe he would still be asleep as well.

* * *

Lafayette was not a morning person. Alex knew this because Lafayette did not get up the next morning until nearly 9:00 (or so that’s what his watch said), and that was only after Alex shook him awake.

 _“Happy birthday Alexander.”_ Were the first words out of Lafayette’s mouth when he saw Alex that morning, still half asleep as he pushed himself into a sitting position, rubbing his eyes and yawning softly as he did. _“What time is it?”_

 _“Breakfast time.”_ Alex replied, shaking his head fondly at the half-asleep form of Lafayette across from him, pressing an apple gentle into the younger boy’s hand. _“I got some food and stuff while you slept, you didn’t even notice I was gone, did you?”_

 _“I admit I did not,”_ Lafayette answered, blushing slightly as he took the fruit from Alex and turned it lightly in his hands, examining it. _“Usually I am a very light sleeper, but I have not gotten much sleep these past few nights so I was very tired. What do Americans call this, by the way?”_

Lafayette added the last part as he held up his apple, looking between it and Alexander curiously. He of course knew the French word for it, but this wasn’t France, and now that Laf had someone who could teach him, Laf was desperate to learn to speak English. If not just to make his life easier.

“It’s an apple.” Alex said, a smile crossing his face as he watched Lafayette slowly mouth the word to himself.

“Apple.” Laf repeated slowly, the word not coming out quite correct but it was a good first attempt nonetheless. He stared at the fruit for a moment longer before taking a bite of it. _“And what color is this apple?”_

“Red.” Alex told him, and Laf mouthed this word too to himself carefully.

 _“And how do you say ‘This apple is red?’”_ Lafayette asked Alex after a moment, tilting his head curiously at the younger boy across from.

 _“Lafayette,”_ Alex laughed, shaking his head in amusement at the millions of question the younger boy seemed to have. He clearly wanted to learn the language, and was obviously very excited to have someone who could finally teach it to him, but in asking his questions he was forgetting to eat and Alex had no idea when the last time he had ate anything was, so that was the first priority. _“Finish your breakfast first. I’ll teach you how to speak some English when you finish okay?”_

Lafayette’s face, which had fell when Alex first said his name, perked up again at the offer and he nodded eagerly, taking a bit bite of his apple, which in turn caused juice to squirt onto his face. Across from him Alex giggled, reaching over to wipe Laf’s face clean with the back of his hand, an amused smirk on the edge of his lips. _“Eat it carefully, mon cher.”_

Lafayette stuck his tongue out at Alex, managing to lick just the edge of the other boy’s retreating hand as he did, and now it was his turn to laugh as Alex made a face from the contact. _“You deserved that mon ami.”_

 _“I take it back.”_ Alex pouted, wiping his hand on his pants with an over exaggerated disgusted look. _“You’re my least favorite birthday present.”_

 _“Liar.”_ Lafayette grinned, and Alex stuck his tongue out in response, which only made the French boy laugh more. _“You love having me around.”_

 _“Do I?”_ Alex challenged, also grinning now and Laf smirked as he nodded his head definitively.

 _“Of course,”_ Lafayette said, as if it was the most obvious thing. _“Your life without me was boring. Now that I am here, it shall be exciting.”_

 _“It’ll be something, that’s alright.”_ Alex muttered, trying to look unamused, but the sparkle in his eyes gave him away, and when Laf pushed him playfully, Alex began to laugh. _“Okay, you’re right. My life is certainly going to be better with you in it mon cher.”_

Lafayette's face light up with a real, bright smile at those words, and before Alex knew what was happening the younger boy was launching himself at him, pulling Alex into a tight hug.

 _“I am so glad you feel the same way mon petit lion.”_ Lafayette whispered into Alex’s shoulder, where his face was awkwardly hidden thanks to the way he threw himself at Alex with no warning. _“I do not know if I could survive without you.”_

 _“You'll never have to find out.”_ Alex promised, kissing the top of Laf’s head, stroking his hair in an attempt to make his promise seem more solid, and in return Laf buried his face deeper in Alex’s neck, relaxing himself against the touch. _“From now on it will always be Us Against the World, okay Lafayette? Nothing will ever break us apart, I promise.”_

And then, because Alex didn't know what else to do and because his mother always used to sing to him at times like this, Alex began to sing a song he must have heard a thousand times during the last month he spent on Nevis.

 **Cause it's us against the world**  
**You and me against them all**  
**If you listen to these words**  
**Know that we are standing tall**  
**I don't ever see the day that**  
**I won't catch you when you fall**  
**Cause it's us against the world tonight**

Alex sang in English because that was the only version of the song he knew, but even though Lafayette didn't know the words he could still tell the meaning behind them. The softness in Alex’s voice as he sang, the way he rocked them both back and forth gently and with every pause placed a kiss in Laf’s head got the message across even if he didn't understand the words.

* * *

At each end of the top of the bridge there were two old lamp posts, which came on every evening and provided enough light that the bridge was covered in a soft glow. On the nights Alexander couldn’t sleep he would climb up there and sit, sometimes with his legs dangling over the edge as he stared out over the city and thought about everything that happened. Other times he would sit closer to one of the lamps, and he would write until he fell asleep, or until the sun rose and told him it was time to start a new day.

The first two nights Lafayette had been with Alex, the smaller boy had stayed curled by his side the entire night, not waking until the sun rose, where he would stand and kiss Laf’s head softly, whispering the half-awake boy he’d be back before long with breakfast before leaving.

Sunday night was different. On Sunday night Alex couldn’t sleep no matter how hard he tried, and after a few hours (according to Laf’s watch anyways) of lying restlessly beside Lafayette he couldn’t take it any longer, and carefully snuck away from the sleeping form, grabbing his bag and heading towards the top of the bridge to write. Just for a few hours, just long enough to calm his nerves, and then he would go back to sleep. Lafayette probably wouldn’t he notice.

* * *

Lafayette did notice. About twenty minutes after Alexander had snuck away Lafayette sat up very suddenly, blinking his eyes at the dark surroundings in an attempt to figure out what had caused his sudden wakefulness when it occurred to him: Alexander was missing.

Lafayette told himself not to panic, panicking never did anyone any good in a situation like this, that surely there had to be a good explanation for where Alex had gone. Maybe he just went on a walk, or maybe he needed to use the bathroom, maybe he was sleep walking or-

That’s when Lafayette heard it: The distinct sound of somebody talking above him. That somebody, of course, being Alexander. It Laf a minute to realize who it was he was hearing, but when he did his panic faded into curiosity, and he followed the sound of Alex’s voice until he too was standing on top of the bridge.

Alex didn’t see him at first, was too busy frantically writing something in a notebook, muttering to himself about something (Laf couldn’t tell what, seeing as his knowledge of the English language consisted of about ten solid words so far and most of them were foods) as he did. Laf approached him quietly, not saying anything until he was crouched by Alex’s side.

 _“Alexander, what are you doing up so late?”_ Lafayette asked curiously, leaning over to examine the boy’s paper despite the fact he didn’t know any of the words, so he missed it when Alex jumped slightly at his sudden presence. _“Why are you writing at a time like this?”_

 _“I couldn’t sleep.”_ Alex explained, deciding not to give Lafayette a lecture on sneaking up on him, instead pushing the younger boy back slightly from his work so that he could continue writing. _“Why are you awake?”_

 _“I noticed you were gone and I panicked.”_ Lafayette admitted after a moment's hesitation, blushing slightly as he sat back on his heels, still watching Alex curiously. _“What are you writing about?”_

 _“Nevis, mostly.”_ Alex said, his voice and face both laced in guilt at just the mention of the island. _“It’s what I always write about. It’s all I can think about.”_

 _“Mon petit, it is not your fault-”_ Lafayette started to reassure Alex, but before he could finish Alex had placed a gentle hand on his arm, cutting Laf off as he spoke.

 _“I know Laf.”_ Alex replied, rubbing Lafayette’s arm gently for a moment before pulling away, sighing heavily as he turned away so that he was facing the city when he spoke next. _“But that doesn't stop me from thinking about them. I mean, I grew up around those people. I grew up on that island Everything that I knew, that all of those people knew, it was all gone when I left. They have nothing Lafayette, nothing. Everything was ripped away from them, and then they took the little they had left and they gave it to me. So that I could come to America, make a better life, so that I wouldn’t die on that island like so many others had. And I just left them, left Nevis, with nothing more than a ‘Thank You’ and a promise that I would do them all proud in America.”_

 _“And you have.”_ Lafayette insisted, moving so that he was sitting beside Alex, their legs flush against each other and hand intertwined between them. _“Look at you Alexander. You are here, you are alive, and you have not once been caught. You are doing what they wanted for you. You are building a life here.”_

 _“I just wish there was some way I could help them.”_ Alex sighed, leaning his head-on Lafayette’s shoulder as they both stared out over the city, taking in the gleaming lights and tall buildings that made up the greatest city in the world (or so it claimed to be anyways). _“Just something that I could do, anything, that would bring attention to the island and give them the help they need.”_

 _“Why don’t you write?”_ Lafayette suggested, and Alex lifted his head to give the younger boy an unamused glance, motioning to his notebook as if to say ‘What do you think I’ve been doing?’. Laf blushed slightly under the stare, but rolled his eyes anyways, explaining _“Write something that you can give to people. To explain what is happening in Nevis.”_

 _“Don’t you remember rule number 2? About blending into the background?”_ Alex asked, raising an eyebrow at Lafayette before shaking his head at the idea. _“If anyone finds out who I am, they will send me back.”_

 _“Then don’t sign it.”_ Lafayette replied as if it was the most obvious answer in the world, smirking slightly as he watched the words register on Alex’s face in the form of a surprised ‘o’. _“You could write a letter to somebody important about what is happening in Nevis. Perhaps if they see your letter, they could do something to help.”_

 _“That’s actually not a bad idea.”_ Alex admitted slowly, turning the idea over in his head as he debated to pros and cons of it. _“It would still be risky, but not as much.”_

 _“Think about it at least Alexander.”_ Lafayette said, waiting until Alex nodded slowly before smiling, giving his hand a final squeeze before standing up. _“Until then, we should go back to sleep.”_

 _“I still have more to write...”_ Alex started, though he trailed off when he saw the stern look Lafayette was giving him, and reluctantly stood up as well, collecting his things.

 _“We have school tomorrow Alexander. You need to rest.”_ Lafayette reminded him when he saw the reluctance on the older boy’s face as he followed Laf back down the pathway that led up to the bridge and down to where they had been hiding the last few days.

 _“I think you need more rest than I do.”_ Alex responded, laughing fondly when Lafayette let out a big yawn at the end of his sentence, looking physically more tired with every step. _“You look exhausted Laf.”_

 _“Yes, well that is because I had to come find you in the middle of the night.”_ Lafayette grumbled, heading immediately over to the blanket when they reached the bottom of the bridge, getting himself comfortable in his usual position before Alex arrived. _“Do you do this many nights?”_

 _“Most nights yes.”_ Alex replied, settling next to Lafayette so his head was on the older boy’s chest and he was essentially curled into him, the blanket tucked over both of them the best they could manage. _“You don’t have to come find me every night, if I’m not beside you then I’m most likely writing.”_

Lafayette hummed in acknowledgement but didn’t say anything else, and for a moment Alex thought he had fallen asleep, and was just about to do the same himself when he heard a half-asleep mumble of _“Goodnight Alexander.”_

Alex had to bite his lip to keep from laughing at adorable Laf had just managed to sound, and with a wide smile on his face Alex, in the same soft tone he always used when talking to the younger boy, said _“Goodnight Lafayette.”_

* * *

Alex couldn’t get the idea out of his head. He blames Lafayette truly for even putting the idea there in the first place, an idea he couldn’t shake nearly a week late no matter how hard he tried to.

It was a horrible idea. Alexander knew that. He knew that it was a bad idea, knew that it could lead to trouble for both him and Laf, to him being sent back and Nevis and Laf to France or Foster care (he wasn't sure), it could lead to them being torn apart for good.

If things went wrong it could be a giant disaster but on the other hand...

If things worked out well then Nevis could actually get help. The island, his home, it could finally get the help and support it needed to rebuild. The people would have their homes back, their lives back, and Alex wouldn't feel so guilty about abandoning them like he did.

Of course, Alex also knew the most likely scenario would be that no one would even see his letter. It would get tossed aside, thrown away without a second glance, and no one would know anything. Nevis wouldn't get any help but at least he and Laf would be safe.

‘But then why do it if no one was going to see it?’ He would wonder, before mentally replying to himself ‘Because they could see it.’ ‘But if they see it,’ he would think afterwards, ‘there's a chance they'll figure out who I am’ ‘There's also a chance they won't.’ He would then remind himself ‘And they probably won't see it anyways.’

And so the cycle went. Alex thought over the topic all week, mostly at night as he sat atop the bridge, staring at the city as he thought or making a pros and cons list inside his notebook. He couldn't decide. He wanted to help Nevis, of course he wanted to help Nevis, but he couldn't lose Lafayette, not now. They were too attached already.

Proof of that came in the form of Alex's late night ponderings. After the first night Laf found Alex there, Laf had decided to join him on top the bridge whenever he went up. It usually went like such: Alex would wake up and go up the bridge to do whatever he was planning for that night. About twenty minutes later Lafayette would join him, yawning and half asleep, blanket in hand. Laf would sit beside Alex, draping the blanket across both of them. Then Laf would drop his head into Alex's lap, and ten minutes later would be dead asleep.

Alex wouldn't admit it, but despite the fact he tried every night to convince Lafayette to go back to bed, Alex truly enjoyed his company. He couldn't explain it, but there was something comforting about having the other boy pressed against his side, like a warm reminder that he wasn't alone and things would be okay. Alex found that some of his best writing came after Lafayette joined him, as if he was the muse Alex didn’t know he needed but had finally found (Alex hadn’t told Laf this either, and he wasn’t sure he ever would).

If Lafayette had become Alex’s muse, then it was no surprise that he was the one who finally convinced Alex to write the letter. Not that Lafayette knew so at the time, but then there were a lot of ways Laf influenced Alex he didn’t know of.

It was Saturday night. Alex had been sitting on top of the bridge staring out over the city, his note pad lying abandoned beside him. Like clockwork after twenty minutes Lafayette arrived, the blanket dragging behind him. He looked completely exhausted, his eyes were hardly open as he stumbled his way over to Alex, collapsing beside him without even pulling the blanket over them both, falling asleep almost instantly, much to Alex’s amusement, who laughed softly to himself as he grabbed the blanket off of the ground, draping it over Lafayette the best he could.

It had been a long day for both of them. Alex had decided that morning that the day would be dedicated to teaching Lafayette some self-defense, so that if anything should happen he would be able to fight and defend himself. Laf had been eager to learn, but after a few hours of it he had been worn out, and though Alex wouldn’t admit it he too had been worn out by the practice and so both of them had fell into sleep pretty early that night. Of course, that only led Alex to waking up earlier than normal, though he laid there beside Lafayette for a while before getting up, hoping the younger boy would stay asleep. Of course, it didn’t work and Laf awoke anyways, but you couldn’t say Alex didn’t try.

Alex had never seen Lafayette so exhausted, so as he sat there and stared over the city he played with the younger boy’s hair gently, hoping to sooth him into a deeper sleep. When Alex was younger it was how his mother always got him to fall asleep and stay asleep, so he hoped it would work for Lafayette as well.

Alex sighed, looking up towards the sky as he thought about his mother, a sad smile crossing his face as he remembered her. She was such an incredible woman, far better of a person than Alex could ever be. In a lot of ways Lafayette reminded him of her, both of them seemed to bring out the best in Alexander, and both of them were the driving forces behind his writing. He wanted to make them proud, his mom and Lafayette, he just didn’t know how.

A light breeze blew past them, and Alex shivered under the sudden rush of cold air, his head turning to the side when he heard the sound of moving pages. When his eyes landed on his notebook, it was not on the page he left it on. Instead, it was on a page that simply read “Dear Mr. President.”

Now Alexander didn’t believe in ghost. He didn’t believe in fate or destiny or anything like that, but even he had to admit. That rush of wind, his notebook turning to that page, the sudden warmth that seemed to surround him as if somebody was hugging him... It certainly didn’t seem like a coincidence that would happen naturally.

Alex took a deep breath, staring down at the paper and at the words. He knew the risk. He knew how badly this could end.

Still...

Alex let the breath out slowly and nodded, picking up his pen slowly. “Okay. Okay we’re doing this.”

Alex knew the risk of writing the letter. He knew if he got found out it would spell disaster for him and Lafayette and the life they had already built around each other.

Alex knew the risk. But he also knew the benefits of it. If he succeeded Nevis would get help. And his mother, well his mother would be proud of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Alex experiences his first snow storm and surprise! he really, really hates it.


	3. Winter Storm Jonas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex really, really hates the snow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter might be a slight mess. I'm sorry.

Alex told Lafayette about his decision the next morning. As they ate breakfast Alexander told Lafayette the entire story, about how the wind blew the notebook to the right page and how it had felt like there was somebody there watching him as he wrote. He admitted it all with a blush, embarrassed by his own words and knowing he probably sounded a bit crazy, but Lafayette only took the news happily, declaring that Alexander’s mother’s spirit must have visited him last night. He, at least, seemed to believe in ghosts and the supernatural even if Alex didn’t.

Even after Alex took time and explained just how risky it could be to write the letters, explained that they could be separated and Laf could be sent back to France, which could cost him his life, or that worse he might even be sent into Foster Care if they decided his father was unfit to be a parent (Sending your child alone to a foreign country was pretty much child endangerment if you asked Alex, and he was pretty certain the police would agree with him). Even after Alex explained that all to Lafayette, Lafayette still looked Alex straight into the eyes and told him _“I believe in you Alexander. I believe in your writing, and I believe in us. Write your letters. We will be okay.”_

Alex wasn’t quite as optimistic as Lafayette that things would go well, but he had the blessing of the younger boy to write the letters despite his doubts, and desperate to both get help to Nevis and make his mother proud, Alex began to write.

* * *

Alex had always been good at writing. His whole life words seemed to just flow out of him, he could write for pages and pages on almost any topic, and if it didn’t come out right he would throw it away and start again. Things may not have always started out perfectly, but he had always been able to get the writing started.

But not with this letter. No matter how hard he tried, no matter how many sleepless nights he spent bent over the pad of paper, pen clutched in hand and Lafayette beside him, Alex couldn’t write. For the first time in his life, he didn’t have the words to start.

Lafayette suggested that maybe Alex needed to take a break, relax for a moment and step back from the letter instead of stressing over it. _“You are worrying too much, mon ami. Just take a break and come back to sleep. You are not going to get anything done this way.”_

But Alexander was stubborn to a fault, and refused to give up until he got something done, anything done. _“I have to get this letter to the President. Nevis will keep being destroyed if I don’t get this letter to the President. I can’t stop Lafayette.”_

Lafayette could see the stress weighing on Alexander though. It was wearing him down slowly but surely, night by night, and Laf knew if he didn’t do something it would eventually lead to Alex’s disaster. He needed to distract the older boy, find some way to force him to take a break, but he had no idea how. Alex didn’t like to bend on anything.

Lucky for Lafayette though, even Alex had to bend to the will of mother nature.

* * *

They had known about the blizzard all week. Really, there was no way for them to avoid knowing about it, considering that it was all anyone was talking about. School had been cancelled, teachers had warned kids to stay safe and not try anything stupid, even the principle had come on the announcements to remind them all to take care of themselves during the storm and directly afterwards. So really there was no way for them to ignore the fact there was a blizzard coming.

Alex had a plan. Of course, he did, he always had a plan, in fact Alex had a plan for nearly any situation the world could throw at him (Including a plan to survive a zombie apocalypse, stop a nuclear war, and a plan to escape prison should he ever find himself there). So, Alex had a plan, but it wasn’t a plan he was happy about implementing. It carried a high risk of both him and Lafayette getting caught, as this plan forced them to do the one thing they tried to avoid at all costs: Talk to people who could catch them in their lie.

The plan was, at least, a simple enough plan. The night before the storm they would sneak downtown, seeking shelter in one of the shelters set up to take in people from the storm, either before it hit or afterwards if they couldn’t stay in their homes. If they were lucky, no one would look twice at them, and they could hole up in some corner together until the weather passed before fleeing back to their bridge.

Out of both of them, Lafayette had easily become the braver one. Maybe it was his overly optimistic attitude that everything would be okay in the end, or maybe it was because he had grown up not knowing the word fear, but whatever it was Lafayette was always the one who was braver. Sure, Alex was steadier, and he never let his fear show, but he didn’t have the same spirit Lafayette did. He was always too worried about everything that might go wrong.

Lafayette was the brave one, but even he couldn’t stop his hands from shaking slightly as they packed their bags Thursday afternoon, couldn’t push away the lingering thought of being caught, of being sent back to France and losing Alexander.

Lafayette was the brave one, so he swallowed harshly and put on an optimistic face for Alexander, taking the older boy’s hand in his and squeezing it tightly. _“Everything is going to be okay Alexander. Nobody is going to take us apart. We will survive this.”_

And if Lafayette’s voice shook slightly in fear when he spoke, he didn’t mention it and neither did Alex.

After all, being brave doesn’t mean you weren’t afraid. It just meant you kept going even though you were afraid.

Lafayette was afraid. But he was also brave. And it was that bravery that led to him taking the first steps, and together the two of them heading off towards the heart of New York City.

* * *

There wasn’t a lot to do in the shelter. With so many people in such a small space, so much noise and excitement and worry mixed together, there wasn’t a lot of room left either. Most people sat in groups, talking or reading, kids played amongst themselves and talked excitedly as volunteers did rounds and made sure they were all okay. Except for the one time when a bunch of teenagers, kids, and young adults randomly burst into song (Alex wasn’t sure the exact name of it, but he was pretty sure it had something to do with Before the Storm or something like that, which he supposed was appropriate at least), the shelter had remained pretty calm.

There wasn’t a lot to do, and Alexander didn’t dare write in a place with so many people (the last time he had done so his papers had been spread through the whole room, and though that time it had brought him the best news in his life, he was sure it wouldn’t have the same result this time). For the first time in nearly a week Alex had been forced to rest, to take a break from writing and sit still for a moment.

Within thirty minutes of them arriving at the shelter, Alexander had fallen asleep with his head in Lafayette’s lap, their blanket stretched across him as he slept in the position Laf would normally take up when Alex wrote. For Lafayette is was a strange reversal of roles, but not an unwelcome one. Alex had needed to sleep for a while now. It seemed mother nature was finally forcing him to.

* * *

Lafayette had never seen Alexander still for so long. He admits, after about the third hour of Alex sleeping it was beginning to become a bit unnerving. And a little lonely too. Surrounded by people who didn’t understand him and who he hardly understood in return, Lafayette had no idea what was going on. He had no one to talk to, and not much to do other than read one of the three books he had brought with him when he left France. He would sleep if it wasn’t for the fact that Alex was still laying against him, and he didn’t want to disturb his friend when he needed the sleep. Besides, there was still too much going on around them, and Laf knew he wouldn’t be able to relax until the building had fallen silent and given them at least a bit of safety for the time.

* * *

Alex woke up briefly after five hours of sleep, long enough to drink some of the water Lafayette offered him and eat some of the food they had hidden in their bags. Things in the shelter were winding down at that point, as everyone prepared themselves for the storm that had already begun to hit them. As the lights dimmed and a hush fell over the building, Alex forced Lafayette to lay down beside him before curling into his side as he did every night. With the blanket draped over them both, Laf wrapped his arms around Alex, pulling him close, and for a moment when he closed his eyes he could fool himself that they were still under their bridge. _Safe._

* * *

Amazingly enough, Alex slept the whole night through, and when he awoke the next morning the sun had already begun to rose, though you wouldn’t know it thanks to all of the snow that fell from the sky so quickly that it was nearly all you could see. Still Alex knew the time by the watch on Lafayette’s wrist (8:25 the watch read in glowing numbers), and the movement around them was enough to alert Alex it was a decent time even before he checked.

They may not have been under their bridge, but that didn’t mean they didn’t have a routine to keep up with. They needed breakfast no matter where they were, and so as he did every morning Alex carefully slipped out of Lafayette’s grip, smoothing back the boy’s hair before he could wake up too much and placed a soft kiss on his forehead. _“Shh, it’s okay. I’m going to go get us something to eat, you stay here and sleep until I get back.”_

Lafayette’s sleepy reply came out mostly in a jumble of words Alex couldn’t understand (It always did), and his eyes drifted shut again. Alexander waited until he was sure Laf was asleep before he wandered off through the sea of people, just hoping he could find some kind of food without being questioned too much. He paused as he passed a window, staring at the snow as it continued to fall and sighed heavily at the sight of the piles that were already starting to grow on the ground.

They were going to be trapped in there for a long time. Alex just hoped that he and Lafayette had enough luck for them to make through the days safe.

* * *

About half through Thursday afternoon Alexander and Lafayette got approached for the first time in the shelter. They had been sitting in their corner talking quietly, eyes shifting around the room every couple of seconds, when a group of four teenagers, all who seemed about their age or a little older, walked over to them. They were all wearing cheerful smiles, but that didn’t stop Alex from tensing up as he looked them over, trying to figure out their intentions before he spoke. Beside him Lafayette had squared his shoulders bravely, and before Alex could speak Laf asked in very careful English “Who are you?”

“And what do you want?” Alexander added, trying not to sound too angry or defensive whilst still trying to convey to the group that he wanted them to leave.

“I’m Martha Wayles.” The girl in the front answered, bowing slightly towards the boys before she introduced the others. “This is Dolley, Elizabeth, and David. We saw you from across the room and thought you looked a bit like you were sending an SOS-”

Martha’s sentence was cut off as the other three exchanged a look and quickly began to sing “Oh, this is an S.O.S. Don't wanna second guess, this is the bottom line.”

“Ignore them.” Martha said loudly over the three’s singing, hitting Dolley lightly on the arm to stop them before turning back to the boys. “Anyways, like I was saying we saw how jumpy you two were and figured that this was probably your first time being in a place like this, and decided you might want a little help from some seasoned pros.”

“Martha and I have been hopping from shelter to shelter for almost two years now, so we got these things down pact.” Dolley added, wrapping an arm around Martha’s shoulders, nodding back at the other two before adding “David and Elizabeth have only been at it about a year and a few months respectively, but they’re getting pretty good at the whole shelter business as well.”

“You’re all homeless?” Alex asked surprised, his eyes widening slightly when they all nodded to varying degrees of affirmation. “A-And you’ve never gotten in trouble for it?”

“Ah, that’s what you’re so jumpy about.” Martha said, understanding mixed with a light amusement filling her voice as she surveyed both Alex and Lafayette before rolling her eyes. “Well let me tell you a secret, there’s really nothing for you to get into trouble for. There’s a lot of homeless teens in the US, places like this care more about taking care of you then getting you in trouble with the law. Unless there’s like a police warrant out for you arrest or something like that.”

Relief flooded Alexander’s face, but Lafayette only stared back at the group of four in confusion until Alex placed a gentle hand on his arm, translating the conversation thus far into French so that he could understand. Soon enough Lafayette was wearing a similar look of relief, and Alex was turning back to the other four with a slight smile. “I’m Alexander Hamilton, and this is Lafayette.”

“ _Bonjour_ .” Laf said, waving to the four and putting on his best winning smile. Now that he knew the group meant no harm, there was no reason for him to hold back any with the friendliness. However, he still didn’t know a lot of English, so gestures would have to suffice for the time being. _“It is a pleasure to meet you all.”_

“He says it's nice to meet you.” Alex translated for the others, pausing when Lafayette said something else before adding “He also apologizes because he doesn’t know much English yet, which is a stupid thing to apologize for but he insists I translate it for him anyways.”

“Tell him it’s no problem, I mean hey I took French for over a year and I still don’t know but like three words, so I’m sure he’s doing better than I am.” Dolley laughed, obviously trying to lighten the mood and make Lafayette feel a little better for his lack of English skills. “Learning a new language is hard as shit.”

Laf nodded in agreement when Alex translated Dolley’s words, miming his head exploding in an attempt to communicate to the others how frustrating it could be sometimes. They must have understood because laughter rang from all four of them, and even Alex was smiling as he nudged Laf’s shoulder playfully

Maybe being stuck in the shelter wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

* * *

It was nice to have someone to talk to. Someone who got what they were going through, who knew how hard it was to be living on your own and could give some pointers on how to make it a little easier. Before Lafayette Alex never really knew anyone in a situation like his, and so it felt nice to have someone that finally understood. In the two days, they were stuck together in the shelter Alex learned a lot from Martha and Dolley on how to better survive on the streets, and had more resources than ever to keep both him and Laf alive.

Lafayette was more taken by the conversations David and Elizabeth kept trying to pull him into. Though Laf only knew small amounts of English, and neither of them knew any French, the three had somehow found a way to communicate that didn’t need many words. Alex translated when it was needed, and considering that Elizabeth and David were both ready to explain basically anything to Lafayette didn’t understand, the boy also found his English rapidly improving, though it was still far from being a full vocabulary. Mostly they just taught him words they said a lot, and between those and context clues and help hand gestures Lafayette could generally figure out what the pair meant.

Alex and Laf didn’t talk much to each other in these two days, shared reassuring glances every few minutes and would occasionally reach out instinctively to touch one another if only briefly to remind each other they were there, but not many words passed between them. They were too busy learning new things from new friends, finding connections they never thought it’d be possible to make. And maybe for some people that would be a concern, but for Alex and Laf it never was.

At the end of the day when the moon had rose in the sky and the lights in the shelter dimmed, Alex would curl into Lafayette’s side as he always did, head resting on the taller boy’s chest, arms wrapped tightly around one another. They held each and drifted off to sleep by the sound of the other’s breathing, and they were home.

* * *

When the snow stopped falling Saturday, and when the sidewalk in front of the shelter had been cleaned up enough that it was safe to exit, people poured from the building to go have a bit of fun in the snow.

Including Alex and Lafayette, the former of which was practically dragged outside by the latter, who was bouncing in pure joy just from the sight of the snow.

 _“Isn’t it beautiful Alexander?”_ Lafayette asked when they exited the building, a large smile on his face as he looked around in slight awe at the sheer amount of snow covering the city. _“Everything is covered in white, it is incredible.”_

 _“Incredibly awful.”_ Alex scowled, crossing his arms across his chest when Lafayette let his hand go in favor of picking up more snow. _“I don’t know why you like it so much. It’s cold and wet and it’s all over everything.”_

 _“Oh, don’t be so grumpy mon ami.”_ Lafayette fake scolded, dropping the snow in his hands, dusting them together before he grabbed onto Alex’s hand again, pulling him down the sidewalk. _“The snow is a beautiful thing to play in and explore. I have many fond memories of time spent in the snow from when I was home in France. I haven’t had so many since coming here, but there is no better time than now to start making some no?”_

 _“There is nothing fun about freezing.”_ Alex muttered, still looking grumpy as he followed Lafayette along, though he couldn’t help but smile slightly when he looked over and saw the look of pure joy on the younger boy’s face. At least Laf was enjoying this.

 _“But there are many fun things to do! You can build a snowman or make snow angels, my father and I used to ski but I do not think you can do that here...”_ Laf trailed off, his face falling for a moment in the same way it always did when he talked of his dad, but before Alex could say anything there was a smile on Laf’s face again and he had continued. _“But perhaps we could ride on a sled. Oh! We should find Martha and the others and have a snowball fight!”_

 _“That sounds like a horrible idea.”_ Alex said plainly, but his protest fell on deaf ears for Lafayette was already pulling him along excitedly, searching for their new friends. Alex sighed heavily. Well, there was no getting out of this one.

* * *

Alex hated the snow. Alex hated the snow, hated the way it would it would seep into his clothes cold and wet, slowly freezing him. He hated how bright it was, the way it nearly blinded you with its whiteness when the sun hit it right. Alex hated the snow and how difficult it was to trudge through, hated the way it got stuck in his hair and melted, drops of cold water dripping down his neck slowly. Alex hated the snow and everything about it.

But when Lafayette’s face lit up as he made snow angels with David and Elizabeth, when Laf laughed as he raced Martha down a hill on makeshift sleds. When Laf sang along in poor English with Dolley some song about building a snowman as they formed the body while Martha and David rolled the head and Elizabeth found things to make a face. When Laf turned to Alex with the biggest grin, snow fallen from trees dusting his shoulders, and placed a soft kiss on Alex’s cheek before skipping off again, even Alex had to admit there was something magical about the snow.

Or maybe there was just something magical about seeing the boy he cared so deeply for finally be able to be free.

* * *

Eventually the snow got too much even for the others, and so by Martha’s suggestion they had headed down the street to a small coffee shop. Alex had perked up slightly at the mention of coffee, the first time he had looked anywhere remotely close to happy that day, but still grumbled under his breath about the snow the whole way there, speaking in French so only Laf would understand him though the others had a pretty good idea what he was talking about (After all he had been complaining all day).

The little coffee shop was full to the brim with people looking to escape, but by some sort of miracle Lafayette managed to snag the last empty booth in the back corner and so after shedding their outer layers they piled into it, leaving room on the end for Dolley who had left to order their drinks.

Only Alex was left with his jacket on, his hat still pulled tightly over his ears, though his gloves had at least come off his hands. When Martha asked how Alex wasn’t hot, a scowl crossed his face before he answered “I am still fucking frozen from the snow.”

“I would be Burnin’ Up.” Elizabeth said in response, a slight smirk on her face as David snorted beside her, the two of them sharing a look that told the others they were clearly missing something. “But I guess that’s just because I’m hot, and you’re cold.”

“Elizabeth Sanders I swear to god if you start that crap in a coffee shop,” Martha warned, turning to give the younger girl a glare, having obviously caught onto what was going on as well.

“You’re no fun.” Elizabeth muttered in response, dropping her head dramatically onto the table in defeat. Lafayette stared at her for a moment confused, before turning to Alex in hopes of an explanation but before he could even ask Alex was shaking his head

 _“I have no idea Lafayette.”_ Well, that made two of them then.

* * *

There was still too much snow for school to be back in on Monday, so Alex and Lafayette had found themselves with another free day. Alex refused to spend it in the snow again ( _“My toes are still frozen from yesterday Lafayette!”),_ but neither one of them wanted to sit around the shelter either doing nothing, so on Martha’s recommendation they decided to go visit the American Museum of Natural History. Anything to keep Alex out of the godforsaken snow.

* * *

There weren’t many times Alex was glad Lafayette still didn’t have a large grasp on the English language, but this was certainly one of those times.

“So, do you need a map or anything?” The guy behind the counter asked Lafayette, leaning on the counter slightly so that he was closer to the French boy, smirking slightly. “I get off in ten minutes if you need someone to show you around.”

Lafayette glanced over at Alex, smiling nervously back at the man, not entirely sure what he was saying, so he just resorted to his default answer of “Uhhh, no?”

Five minutes. This guy had been flirting with Lafayette for five minutes, and had still not gotten more of answer out of Laf than a hesitant no, and yet here he was continuing to try and pick him up. If it was freezing outside and if the guy would just hand them their tickets already so they could get inside maybe Alex would have found the whole thing slightly amusing, but as it was he mostly just very annoyed by the situation.

And very happy Laf didn’t know much English, because he would probably be far more uncomfortable if he actually knew what the guy was saying to him instead of just taking wild guesses at it. As it was Lafayette was flustered enough. Alex was done with it.

“Can we just have our tickets?” Alex snapped, and both Lafayette and the man turned towards him with wide eyes at his sudden outburst. Alex narrowed his eyes at the man, glaring at him before taking the one step forward he needed to reach the counter and all but snatching the tickets out of his hand. Turning on his heel Alex held his hand out for Lafayette, saying stiffly “Laf, let’s go.”

Lafayette shrugged apologetically to the man behind the counter before taking Alex’s hand, allowing the younger boy to drag him off into the museum, the two of them not stopping until they reached the middle of the first floor. It was then that Laf decided to ask _“Mon petit, what was that all about?”_

 _“It was cold and I was tired of listening to his pathetic attempts at flirting.”_ Alex answered, scowling slightly for a moment before he forced himself to relax just slightly. _“Now where are we going first?”_

 _“He was flirting with me?”_ Lafayette yelped alarmed, but Alex wasn’t listening, too busy studying the map and deciding where they should go first. _“Alexander, tell me you are joking.”_

 _“Sadly no. It was poor flirting, but he was flirting.”_ Alex replied after a moment, glancing up from his map briefly and under his breath _“If we go this way, we might be able to avoid the people”_

 _“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”_ Lafayette asked, but Alex really wasn’t paying attention now. Instead he had folded up his map so he could only see the part he needed, and looking up at Laf said simply

_“Let’s go.”_

* * *

On average, most people spent three hours in AMNH exploring all it had to offer. Some people spent more than that, others less, but the average amount to spend was three hours.

Lafayette and Alex spent about thirty minutes.

It wasn’t because they were bored by the museum, in fact Alex and Laf had quite a lot of fun looking around at things, learning history they had never known before about the country they now lived in. Alex especially was wrapped up in all he was learning, and had told Laf that maybe one day they could come back again to see some more.

But then it happened.

Alex had left to go to the bathroom, leaving Lafayette alone for a few minutes to explore, and whilst he couldn’t read most of the English on the plaques he did enjoy looking at the things around.

Perhaps too much, because one second he was staring and the next a security guard was pulling him away, yelling something about him being “too close to the exhibit” or something to that effect, Lafayette couldn’t exactly tell.

That’s when Alex showed up again.

And without any questions, Alex rushed to Laf’s side, standing between him and the Security Guard, and he started to yell too, about how the guard had no right to yell at Laf and couldn’t they tell that Laf didn’t understand them and that maybe there was a better way to explain then yelling.

Which of course in turn got Alex and Laf both kicked out of the museum for disobeying rules. Something that was bad enough on its own, and that only got worse a minute later when another Security Guard made the mistake of grabbing Alex by his shoulder, and found themselves a second later lying on their back on the floor after Alex flipped them over.

It really wasn’t much of a surprise that Alex and Lafayette were banned indefinitely from the museum after that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen  
> This was not the chapter I had planned to write originally, but it occurred to me about a fourth of the way through the first draft that wasn't there a blizzard in New York around this time? And I looked it up and sure enough there was, so I started writing another version of this story.  
> And then I realized that the reason I knew there was a blizzard in New York in January 2016 was because, oh yeah, it had become a meme on the internet.  
> So then I got a little bitter, and so if this chapter seems a little different than normal that's why. 
> 
> ANYWAYS  
> We met some new characters today. Martha, Dolley, David, and Elizabeth. They're not going to be in too much of the rest of the story, but they might pop up here and there for a few seconds, and then in a few chapters they'll be a bigger part again, and then we will part our ways with the crew.  
> But just a little info on them in case you wanted to know more about them.  
> Martha and Dolley are both 17, and they've been living on their own for about two years now like they said. Martha actually got kicked out of her house when she came out to her parents, and Dolley's own parents weren't very accepting of them, so Dolley basically ran away from home with Martha and they've been sort of just traveling around since then, getting jobs in different places and just living on their own.  
> David is 12, and Martha and Dolley actually found him when they were traveling southward, they found him running away from an abusive home and offered to help him out, and he's sort of been like their adopted son since then.  
> Elizabeth was also kicked out of her house after coming out as trans to her parents, and Martha and Dolley just happened to be passing through her town the same night and they offered to let her come with them and she accepted. She's 14 like Laf is.  
> So that's their ragtag group. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter despite my bitterness writing it and the few Jonas brother references I stuffed in there because I was so bitter over it all.
> 
> Next week we'll drop the salt and back on track with the main theme of this story, me hurting us all by causing Alex and Laf pain.


	4. It's Only A Matter Of Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for descriptions of an ill character, mentions of throwing up, and slight blood mention as well. 
> 
> I'm sorry about this.

**Dear Mr. President,**

**I’m going to be honest. I don’t have much of a clue who you are. I’m not from America, it isn’t my home, even if it is where I live now. I know you’re the leader of this country, that you’re the example people follow, the one looked to in times of trouble, and that you guide your country the best you can. And you’re a good person. Or, I’ve been told so at least.**

**I don’t know much about you, but I do know that you’re the one I should write this letter to. You’re the only one who can do anything to help.**

**You see Mr. President, my home is in danger. It’s been destroyed and there’s no hope of fixing it without help, without lots of help.**

**I’m from a little island called Nevis, in the Caribbean. It’s one of the lesser known islands, most people go their whole life never knowing we exist there. Most of the time we don’t mind too much, but at times like this we remember how detrimental it can be to be forgotten.**

**At the beginning of last December, Nevis was struck by an off-season Hurricane. I don’t know how much it was talked about here or if the damage stretched to anywhere else, but I do know in the wake of that hurricane we were left destroyed. The entire island flooded, buildings were destroyed, and everyone on the island was left either dead or injured in the wake of it. The only thing left standing was a single church in the middle of town, raised upon a hill so that it was safe from the flooding, and built sturdy enough that even the winds couldn’t touch it. When I fled from the island a month ago, that church was still the only thing we had left.**

**Nevis got a little help afterwards, but it wasn’t a lot. As far as I could tell, Mr. President, none of that help even came from America. I could be wrong about this, of course, but even if help did come from your country it wasn’t enough. None of it was.**

**We had help enough to treat those injured and nurse them back to relative health. We had help enough that we didn’t starve, though the food we had wasn’t always enough to go around. There was help enough to keep us living in the most basic ways, but there was never enough help for us to start to recover. We never had enough help to get better.**

**Attached to this letter is a stack of papers, of writing describing the hurricane and the effect it left on my home. I wrote these papers back when I was still in Nevis as a way to cope with all that I had seen. These were the papers that inspired an island that had nothing to give up everything to send me here. These papers are the reason I am able to write this letter to you, and if you read them then maybe they’ll be able to convince you to help my home.**

**At the beginning of January, I came to America carrying the hopes of my people. They sent me here because they knew it was my best chance of survival, and they sent me here so that no one would forever forget their name. Nevis asked me to tell their story, Mr. President, and that’s what these papers and what this letter is trying to do.**

**Please Mr. President, don’t let their sacrifice be in vain. Send Nevis the help it needs to get back on its feet again, before it’s too late and my home is lost forever.**

**Sincerely,**

**A bastard orphan immigrant from Nevis**

* * *

It took Alex two weeks after the blizzard to write his letter to the President. He wrote Non-Stop for those two weeks, only pausing when he had to go to school or had to go find more food for the pair of them. Alex hardly ate anything himself those two weeks besides what Lafayette forced upon him, but Laf at least kept up eating regularly. Alexander didn’t sleep much those two weeks either, too focused on writing to stop until he quite literally passed out from exhaustion, and only then would he curl up next to Lafayette, sleeping just long enough so that he could get going in his writing once more.

Lafayette did his best to take care of Alex in those two weeks. He brought him food every morning and afternoon, sat beside him as he wrote and did little things to keep Alex calm such as running his hands gently through the older boy’s hair or tracing delicate circles on his back to relax him.

But Lafayette didn’t try to stop him. This letter meant more to Alex than almost anything and Lafayette knew had he tried to fight Alex over the taking breaks as he wrote, it could wind up hurting both of them badly. So Laf didn’t try to stop Alex, but instead dealt comfort where he could, and provided him all the support in the world. Lafayette would read every draft Alex wrote and give the best feedback possible, and in return Alex would often give him a weak smile of thanks before he began to edit again.

And after two weeks of stress over the perfect letter for Alex, and stress over Alex for Lafayette, the letter was finally finished.

* * *

There were five copies of the letter, each of them handwritten and accompanied with copies of the writings Alex had made after the hurricane. One of them Alex sent directly to the white house, in hopes the president would receive it and read it directly. Three of them were sent to three of the biggest newspapers he could find. If even just one of them posted the letter and word about it began to spread, maybe, just maybe the president could see it that way.

The fifth copy of the letter and Alex’s original writings from Nevis stayed tucked away in his own notebook. A record of his own history saved in place only he would ever see.

* * *

Writing the letter took a lot out of Alex. The high stress of it combined with the poor attention he paid his body and bitter cold of the winter was a recipe for disaster. And like a summer storm that pops up with no warning, upon finishing the letter Alex found himself overcome by an illness that seemed to have come out of nowhere.

The night after writing the letter Alex had curled up next to Lafayette behind their pillar feeling tired, but no worse for the wear than normal. By the time the sun rose the next morning, he was severely ill.

* * *

Lafayette first noticed something was wrong a few hours after they first fell asleep. Alex was shivering and shaking, his teeth chattering together, creating the noise that awoke Lafayette in the first place. At first Laf believed it was just the chill of the weather and sleepily moved to pull Alex closer to him, but his eyes shot open after his hand first touched the older boy, and found him burning up. He was much hotter than he should be 

Lafayette didn't panic just yet. It was just a fever, there were a lot of reasons Alex could have one, and his body was probably just trying to make up for the lack of care it had received as of late. It would be okay. They had a first aid kit somewhere in one of their bags, and Laf remembered how his dad took care of him when he was sick like this. It would be okay, they would be okay.

It was just a fever.

* * *

Lafayette didn't sleep very well after he first noticed Alex’s fever. He drifted off after a while, but he would jerk awake every so often to check on him, alarmed to find each time that Alex's temperature seemed to be getting higher. He certainly felt hotter each time to Laf at least. And his chills only seemed to be getting worse, until eventually Laf felt like he didn't have a choice but to gently shake the older boy awake and force him to take something to help the fever fall (Thank god Alex had decided to add labels in French on all the bottles).

Even when Alex woke up though it wasn't for long, and he was extremely out of it. He hardly seemed to recognize Lafayette and was mumbling incoherently, but took the medicine when Laf prompted him to, and even ate a little food and drank the after he was given before he fell back asleep suddenly, leaving Lafayette even more worried than before.

But he wasn't going to panic yet. He couldn't panic yet. After all, people got sick all the time. Surely Alex would be just fine. He had to be just fine.

* * *

The medicine didn’t stay in Alex for long. Less than an hour after he had fallen back asleep Alex bolted upright, fully awake and a look of panic on his face as he desperately tried to stand up. He stumbled a few steps before he fell to the ground just outside of where they had made their little home, and Lafayette watched in horror as Alex emptied the contents of his stomach across the road.

 _“Alexander!”_ Lafayette gasped, rushing to Alex’s side after the initial wave of shock wore off, dropping down beside the older boy as he continued to throw up in front of them, making an awful noise that would have made Lafayette cringe had his brain not been going a hundred miles an hour trying to think about what to do without freaking out.   _“Do not panic Lafayette, think. What would your father do? How would he handle this?”_

Yes, yes thinking about his father would surely help. His dad was always so calm whenever Lafayette got sick like this, would hold back his hair gently as he threw up and speak comforting words until he stopped. So, that’s just what he needed for Alex right?

 _“It is okay Alexander.”_ Lafayette said softly, his voice shaking slightly as he spoke but his hands were steady as they reached and gently pulled Alex’s hair from his face, holding it back so that it wasn’t in his way. And then all he could do was wait for Alex to finish.

When he did, all Lafayette could do then was help Alex back over to their ‘bed’ of sorts, coaxing him into drinking at least a few sips of water before he laid back down again. Lafayette sat beside him, stroking Alex’s hair gently, in hopes it would help calm him down again. And to help lull him back to sleep, Lafayette began to sing what he had fondly started to refer to as their song “It’s us against the world, you and me against them all...”

* * *

Lafayette wasn’t sure exactly when the right time to start panicking was, but he figured that now seemed like a good time, considering the fact that Alex had had what seemed to be a high fever for over 24 hours straight, had thrown up three times since the first time despite having nothing in his stomach by that point, and had besides that been sleeping quite restlessly for longer than Laf had ever seen him. So yeah, now seemed like a good time to start panicking a bit.

If Alex kept getting worse... Lafayette didn’t even want to think about that possibility but it kept pushing its way to the front of his mind. It had only been a day since it started and already Alex seemed to be in pretty bad shape, the illness came on quick and if it kept getting worse at this rate, Lafayette had no idea what he would do. What could he do? It wasn’t like they exactly had many options, Laf had no idea how the American medical system worked but he was pretty sure it wasn’t going to be in their favor. After all they were both in the country illegally, what kind of system would work in favor of that?

All Lafayette could do now was pray. Pray to whatever god that was up there, assuming there was one that is, to just please let Alex get better and be okay. He could pray and he could take care of Alex and he could do his best to make sure that his best friend would come out the other side of this war.  

 _“Please Alexander,”_ Lafayette whispered softly to the sleeping boy, pushing a few sweaty strands of hair out of Alex’s face as he stared down at him, resting his hand gently against his cheek for a moment. _“I need you to be okay. Please just be okay.”_

* * *

Alex wasn't getting better. His fever continued to hang steadily around 103 (Lafayette had finally found a thermometer in their first aid kit), he couldn't keep any medicine down to help and any attempts at getting him to eat resulted in Alex throwing up again. He did at least manage to keep a little water down, but not much and it left Laf worrying that Alex was rapidly becoming dehydrated.

Alex spent much of his time sleeping, which Laf supposed must have at least been good for healing, but his sleep was restless and would often devolve into nightmares, though Laf found he could soothe these if he stroked Alex’s hair and sang softly to him.

The little time Alex did spend awake wasn't pleasant, whatever it was that was making Alex sick was causing him an extreme amount of pain all over his body, causing him to moan and whine and complain, until Lafayette was able to lull him back to sleep again, or until he passed out in exhaustion from the toll this illness was taking on him.

* * *

The fourth day Alex was sick was like the eye of a hurricane. For a moment, there was a break in the storm, Alex’s fever fell overnight and when he woke up the morning he actually felt okay. He was able to sit up, to eat and drink and keep it down with worry. He wasn’t in any pain, and for the first time since he had gotten sick, he was able to think as clearly as he had before the illness. He was still weak and far too pale, and was interrupted by horrible sounding coughs every few minutes, but for a moment he almost seemed okay.

Alex knew better though. Alex knew the worst was still to come. He had been here once before with his mother, the last time they had both got sick it had been just like this. The first few days were bad, and then for a moment there was clarity, before the illness struck again harder than before. His mother didn’t make it out alive last time, and Alex had no idea if he would make it out this time.

 _“You have to be strong Lafayette. No matter what happens, I need you to stay strong for me. Be brave.”_ Alex’s words came out quietly because he couldn’t muster the strength to speak louder, but Lafayette heard every word too clearly, as if each one was stabbing his heart directly. _“This peace isn’t going to last much longer, and when the second round of the illness hits it’s going to be much worse than before. And I don’t know if I’ll make it.”_

 _“Don’t say that Alexander!”_ Lafayette admonished tearfully, gripping Alex’s hand tighter at his words. _“You will be okay.”_

 _“I might be. I lived last time and maybe I can do the same again.”_ Alex agreed, giving Lafayette a weak smile before reaching over and pushing a loose piece of hair from Laf’s face, tucking it behind his ear in an attempt to reassure the younger boy just a little more. _“But if anything goes wrong, can you make a promise to me?”_

 _“Of course mon petit lion.”_ Lafayette nodded, the tears in his eyes growing as Alex fell into another coughing fit, his hand pulling away from Laf’s face to cover his mouth as he did so. _“I will do anything for you.”_

 _“After I’m gone, I need you to go find Martha and Dolley. They’ll take care of you until you can go home. And make sure the world knows about Nevis. Tell them our story Lafayette.”_ Alex’s face contorted in pain as another fit of coughing hit him, this one much more violent sounding than the previous ones had been. And this time when he pulled his hand away, there was something shining there that shouldn’t have been. _“I’m afraid, Lafayette, that I have run out of time.”_

And Lafayette stared in horror at Alex’s hand, and the red that covered in in dots. When Alex coughed again more appeared, until a thin trickle of blood was running from the side of his mouth down his cheek.

The second half of the hurricane had begun. And even Lafayette couldn’t deny the fact that the chances of Alex reaching the other side were beginning to look nearly nonexistent.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So  
> That was a thing that happened  
> Sorry 
> 
> There was no reason for me to leave the chapter here except for the fact that I'm slightly a horrible person.
> 
> Also I'm sorry this chapter took a little longer than usual but I had trouble getting through writing it without crying.  
> Also I was watching The Great British Baking Show on Netflix and it's highly addictive.


	5. The Say Have Courage And I'm Trying To

Lafayette was scared. No correction, Lafayette was terrified, more than he had ever been in all of his life. More terrified than he was when he first came to America all by himself or the first night he spent alone on the street. He was more terrified than the day he was almost shot outside of his school, the panic worse than the one he had felt in the hours that had followed as he waited to hear from his dad to make sure he was still okay. This was a whole new level of terror Lafayette had never felt before, and it was taking everything he had in him not to curl up beside Alex and just cry. 

He had to brave. He needed to stay strong, to keep it together. He was the brave one, Lafayette had always been the brave one out of the two of them. He needed to be brave now, had to be brave now for Alex’s sake. He couldn’t give into his fear now, he never had before. But god this was a terror worse than anything he had felt, a pain he couldn’t even describe. Being brave seemed impossible. But he had to be. He promised Alex he would be. And he had always been the brave one. 

* * *

 

Alex was dying. 

There was no other way to look at it. 

Alex was dying, and there was nothing Lafayette could do about it. Nothing he could do to save him, nowhere he could go to get him the help he needed. They were homeless, they were parentless, and they were in America illegally. There was no place in the city that would take them in now and heal Alex. No place that Lafayette knew of at least. 

But every hour that passed Alex got worst. His fever and chills would rise and fall, but the coughing never stopped when he was awake and asleep Laf could tell more and more how hard it was becoming for Alex to breathe. He didn’t recognize Lafayette anymore, and Laf’s heart broke a little more every time Alex would wake up and mumble something about his mother there beside him instead of Laf. 

Alex was dying. Alex was dying and with him he was taking every last bit of courage Lafayette had left, draining the boy of any emotions besides raw fear and pain. 

Alex was dying. 

And there was nothing Lafayette could do but watch him go. 

* * *

Before they had split ways after the blizzard, Alex had given Martha and Dolley directions to their bridge, to their home, in case they ever wanted to drop by to visit the boys. Three weeks had gone by without a sight of them, when suddenly out of nowhere one afternoon Martha had appeared out of the blue. 

It had been over a week since Alex had gotten sick. Lafayette was singing to a sleeping Alex a French lullaby when Martha walked up, her smile fading rapidly into a look of horror when she caught sight first of Alex, and then of the tear stricken Lafayette. 

Lafayette had no idea what possessed Martha to visit them at that moment and he never got a chance to ask, because the moment he had started to explain what had happened Martha had begun making plans.

Martha knew one place where Alex might just be able to get the help he needed without too much trouble. But they needed to get there fast. 

After all, Alex was dying. And Martha was even less sure than Lafayette on how long he would be able to stay alive. 

* * *

 

You weren’t meant to treat youth without parental consent. If you got caught you could get in serious trouble with the law, or with the parents of the youth you treated. Dr. Benjamin Franklin knew this better than anyone. He had got caught more than once in lawsuits and charges against him for helping youth in need, but none of them ever stuck. He could always talk and fight his way out of cases before they ever blew up. Dr. Franklin knew he wasn’t meant to treat the youth with parent contact, but it was one rule he never listened to.

Any homeless youth in need of care could count on Dr. Franklin to help them out in an instant. And it wasn’t just him. His home base may have been a clinic in Philadelphia, across the country Dr. Franklin had others who kept an eye out for youth in need, at hospitals, clinics, and shelters alike. They did their best wherever they were to give the youth the care they needed, and if they couldn’t help them then they did whatever they could to get those youths to Dr. Franklin as soon as possible. 

In New York City, there was a girl named Sybil. She worked with Dr. Franklin through the Covenant House there. When youth became too sick for them to handle, she was the one who would drive them the two hours it took to reach the clinic, doing everything in her power to get them there on time. 

Sybil had made the journey to and from the clinic thousands of times in the three years since she started, delivered and brought patients will all sorts of injuries and illnesses and problems. She’s seen a lot of different people on these journeys. 

But Sybil had never seen someone who looked as close to death as Alexander did when she first saw him. He looked and sounded as if he was hardly holding on to life, and if the look on Lafayette’s face as he pleaded for help was any indication, she could guess the only reason he was still alive in the first place. 

Sybil had seen Dr. Franklin perform a lot of miracles, but even he couldn’t bring people back from the dead. And death was where Alex was fast headed, and Sybil knew if they didn’t get to the clinic soon it might be too late. 

Sybil hadn’t lost a patient yet. And she wasn’t going to start now. 

She drove as fast as she could down to Pennsylvania, but even as they went Sybil couldn’t help but think that there was no amount of speed that could save the boy laying on seat behind her. This might be one case impossible even for the great Benjamin Franklin. 

* * *

 

With broken English and through a constant stream of tears, on the drive to the clinic Lafayette told Sybil their story the best he could. Told her how they both came to America, about the blizzard and the letter, and how out of nowhere Alex had just fallen sick. He did his best to explain to her all of the symptoms Alex had had, told her of the fever and the chills and how Alex had told him he probably wouldn’t make it. 

It was hard, not only because it hurt so much to talk about, but also because it had only been just over a month since Lafayette had begun to learn English and though he learned fast he still had hardly made a dent into the language. Luckily, Sybil had a lot of experience understanding those who didn’t know much English, and through a little guess work and a lot of close listening she was able to piece together on the drive a story comprehensive enough to deliver to Dr. Franklin when they arrived. 

Which was a good thing, because the time they arrived at the clinic Lafayette had worn himself out with worry, and if it wasn’t for the fact he was completely terrified that Alex might die any moment he probably would have passed out by now. As it was Sybil could tell it was taking all of his energy not to fall over as he stood anxiously near Alex’s side, waiting as Dr. Franklin examined him, just praying that whatever was wrong with Alex could be fixed. 

* * *

It didn’t take long for Dr. Franklin to realize what it was that was causing Alex to be sick. Between Sybil’s story, Alex’s background, and the way the boy looked now as he laid on the bed in a restless sleep, it became pretty clear pretty quickly, a quick blood test confirmed that Alex had malaria. Worse than that, Alex had severe malaria that was rapidly killing him, and had caused him to develop pneumonia as it attacked his body. 

In all his years as a doctor, Benjamin Franklin had himself only seen a handful of malaria cases, most of them whilst he was still serving as a doctor for the army. Out of those he had only seen two cases as bad as Alex’s was, and neither of those men made it through the disease alive. It was nearly impossible to recover this far gone. 

But Dr. Franklin would be damned if he didn’t try his best. He knew how to treat malaria, how to treat pneumonia and how to give Alex the best odds of winning his fight. He just hoped it would be enough. 

* * *

Two days. They had been at the clinic two days, and Alex still wasn’t getting better. For a while he seemed like he was getting worse, by the end of the second night Alex’s breathing had gotten bad enough that Dr. Franklin had decided to put him on a ventilator. Just in case. 

Lafayette had cried at the sight. It was just further proof to him that Alex was dying, that soon he would be gone and Laf would be left alone. Dr. Franklin tried to explain that it was only a precaution, just a way to make things a little easier on Alex, make his recovery more likely. Maybe it wasn’t a lie, but to Lafayette it sure stung as if it was one, and Laf had buried his face in Alex’s neck until he had been able to calm himself down again. 

Then, with the lights low in the room, Laf turned so his head was resting on Alex’s chest, ear pressing to the smaller boy’s chest so that the sound of his quiet heartbeat filled Lafayette’s mind. And curled up beside Alex in the hospital bed, Lafayette fell into an uneasy sleep. 

* * *

 

After four days Martha and Dolley showed up, carrying all they had collected from the boy’s little home under the bridge, and with them came Elizabeth and David, who both weren’t allowed into the room where Alex was being cared for, and so they waited out front and talked to Dr. Franklin as Martha and Dolley checked to see how Alex and Lafayette both were doing. 

Alex’s condition begun to stabilize. He wasn’t getting any better yet, but he hadn’t gotten any worse either which Laf supposed must be something. The only thing left to do now was to wait, to pray the medicine worked and that Alex would get better. 

All Lafayette could do now was hang on, and be brave. He just needed to have courage, and a little faith that somehow, someway, Alexander would get better.

* * *

Lafayette didn’t talk much to anyone. Even when Martha and Dolley visited he hardly said more than two words to them, too focused on Alexander and making sure he was okay to notice anything else. The only one he would talk to was Alex. When the two of them were alone Lafayette kept up an almost endless stream of dialogue, talking or singing to Alex until his throat hurt and his voice nearly disappeared. Laf never really got a reaction from Alex the entire time, but it gave him at least some comfort. If he could just let Alex know he wasn’t going to give up on him, then just maybe he would find the strength to pull through and be okay. 

* * *

On the fifth day Alex’s condition began to deteriorate. It started with a high spike in his fever worse than any Lafayette had recorded before. His breathing dropped suddenly until every breath sounded physically painfully and suddenly the ventilator was very much needed to keep Alex alive. Laf, who spent most of his time with one ear resting on Alex’s heart to hear the beat, noticed it had started to speed up suddenly, which alarmed Dr. Franklin to no end. Suddenly the medicine didn’t seem to be working and Alex was dying again and Lafayette was sobbing as he sat on the bed beside him, clinging tightly to the hand of his best friend as Dr. Franklin rushed around them trying to find something, anything that could help the medicine start working again.

Lafayette bent his head close to Alex’s so that no one else would hear, resting his forehead against Alex’s sweaty one, his eyes shut tightly as he whispered, in a begging, broken tone _“Alexander? Please, I know you’re in there. We’ve all been wondering where you’ve been. They say have courage, and I’m trying to. I’m right out here for you, just please wake up. We only have each other, it’s just you and me. What am I going to do?”_

Laf’s voice broke, and he lifted his head slightly away from Alex so that he could stare down at him. For a moment with his eyes closed Lafayette could almost trick himself into thinking that Alex was only sleeping. That he wasn’t dying.

When Laf placed a light kiss on Alex’s forehead though he could feel the heat rising off the boy, reminding them both that Alex wasn’t just sleeping. Lafayette sighed against Alex’s skin, a few tears falling from his eyes and rolling down Alex’s face but he hardly seemed to notice. _“Please Alexander. It’s meant to be Us Against the World. Don’t give up on me now.”_

* * *

It was on the sixth day that suddenly, Alexander began to get better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Covenant House mentioned in this chapter is a real place. They provide shelter, basic health care, and even teach homeless youth how to be prepared for the real world. They're a really cool place, if you're ever looking for someplace to donate to to help homeless kids (Like Alex and Laf), it's an excellent choice as far as I can tell.
> 
> One of my goals in writing this story is to show how hard life is for homeless youth. They face a lot of struggles, but lack of access to healthcare is one of the biggest. Healthcare can be hard for all homeless people to get, but for homeless youth it can be even harder because without parental consent, most places refuse to treat youth unless they are actually dying. It's even illegal in some places (most places if I remember correctly). Even where it's legal, doctors still face the risk of being sued by the parent or guardian of the youth should they treat them without parental consent.   
> Places like the Covenant House provides free basic health care to homeless youth without the need of a parent, but they only have a limited range of things they can do for a variety of reasons, including resources available to them and of course laws surrounding health care of a minor.   
> So whilst it's important obviously to support these places, we can't rely on them to be the only source of health care for homeless youth. They are part of the solution, but they're not the entire solution.
> 
> Even in places with solutions like the Covenant House, many homeless youth are still afraid to go to these places because they've been conditioned to fear adults for a variety of reasons. You don't help the cause by barring these kids from access to health care with parental consent, and in some cases it might even fuel youth to distrust and hate these adults more.
> 
> Lack of access to adequate health care can cause a variety of problems, including mental health problems. Homeless youth are much more likely to have some sort of mental illness than other youth of their age, and treatment for them can be even harder to find than for physical health care. Untreated mental illnesses can cause their own problems, including suicide. 
> 
> There's obviously a lot more information out there, and there's more information I haven't even included here because it's starting to get a little long, but I figured if I was writing about these topics then I might as well provide a little bit of education along with them. 
> 
> Homelessness in youth is a subject I've become very passionate about, especially writing this story. If you want to talk about it anymore, if you have any questions or anything you want to add, leave it in the comments or you can message me on Tumblr, I'm @Potterhead2468 over there as well.


	6. Laughed Until We Cried

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "We danced and screamed and held each other tight. We laughed until we cried." 
> 
> Things begin to look up for Lafayette and Alex. Just for a moment, at least.

Lafayette had never wished more to see someone open their eyes in his life. Every minute spent waiting for Alex to wake felt like an eternity, and Lafayette hated every second of it. 

Alex was healing. He didn’t need the ventilator to breathe anymore, his body was responding to the medication again and his malaria seemed to almost be gone, though the pneumonia still lingered (Dr. Franklin assured Lafayette that it was normal for pneumonia to last so long, especially with the condition Alex had been in over the past two weeks, but it still left Laf worried nonetheless). 

Everything was going well. Alexander was getting better and soon he would be awake. Dr. Franklin reminded Lafayette of his every time he did his rounds, as did Martha and Dolley when they stopped by to see how things were going. Soon. Alex would be awake soon. 

But soon wasn’t soon enough. 

All Lafayette wanted was for Alexander to open his eyes now. He just wanted to hear his voice, see his smile and feel Alex’s hand holding his back properly again. It had been almost two weeks since Lafayette had last seen the full Alexander, the one that knew he was and that he cared for above all words. 

It had almost been two weeks. 

Lafayette wasn’t sure how much longer he would last with his Alexander by his side. 

* * *

Lafayette had only stepped out of the room for a moment. Only just long enough to go to the bathroom, it hadn’t even been more than two minutes. Alex had been laying as still as ever on the hospital bed when he left, Lafayette was sure nothing was going to happen in the time he was gone.

And yet, the moment he reentered Alex’s room Laf was shocked to find the other boy sitting quiet calmly in his bed, looking around the room with careful eyes, taking in his new surroundings and the stillness of the room around him.

Laf’s shock wore off in mere seconds though, as soon as Alex’s eyes met his Lafayette was taking off across the room, practically throwing himself onto the bed next to Alex and pulling the smaller boy into a hug, laughing as Alex hugged him back.

_ “Alexander!” _ Lafayette cried delightedly, pulling back from the hug so that he could look at Alex properly, pressing his forehead gently against Alex’s so they were staring eye to eye, and for a moment there was a hush and then 

_ “Hi.”  _ Alex whispered quietly, his voice scratchy and rough from days of being unused, but it didn’t matter to him and it didn’t matter to Laf either. All that mattered is that Alex was talking, a soft smile on his face as he gazed back at Lafayette, at the boy he wasn’t sure he would ever see again.  _ “It’s good to see your face.” _

At the sound of Alex’s tired voice Lafayette laughed wetly, burying his face in Alex’s neck as relief washes over him in waves, threatening to overtake him in full blown sobs and for a moment he can’t speak. For a moment he can’t speak, and Alex’s hands find their way into Laf’s hair, run his hands through in gentle movements that only make Laf want to cry more because finally, finally Alex was back. He was here and he was responding and making stupid jokes and he was being Alex and Lafayette had never been so happy in his life. 

Finally though Laf finds his voice again, and he lifts his head so that he can see Alex, and Alex’s hand slip from Lafayette’s hair, moving instead to cup his face gently, and Laf smiles affectionately at the gesture before he says  _ “I missed you mon petit lion.”  _

Alex’s face melts at Laf’s words, every emotion draining from it and replaced with a look of unadulterated love, and as if on instinct Alex draws Lafayette’s face closer, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead, allowing his lips to linger a few seconds too long to be casual before he pulled away, his thumb rubbing small circles onto Lafayette’s cheek as they stare at each other. Softly, so as not to break the spell that seems to inclose them, Alex whispers  _ “I never left you Lafayette. Even when I wasn’t here, I was always here,”  _ Alex’s free hand moved to Lafayette’s chest, resting gently over the boy’s heart.  _ “No matter what happens, I am always with you.” _

_ “Because it’s us against the world?”  _ Lafayette asked playfully and Alex laughs, the tender moment between them ruined at the joke but neither boy seems to mind. This teasing, this laughter, the easiness that came from being in each others presence, it conveyed more love between the two of them than any mushy moment ever could be. So Alex let his hand fall from Lafayette’s cheek as he smiled, and happily he confirmed

_ “Yes Lafayette. Because it is us against the world. And it always will be.” _

* * *

Alex was on bed rest.

Even though he was awake and talking, even though his malaria was gone and his pneumonia on the way out, even though he was eating meals on his own and laughing and breathing and existing. Even though Alex was getting better, his body was still healing. The toll being sick had taken on him was almost more than his body could handle, he had almost died, and as a result his body was still weakened. It needed to relax so it could heal. 

So Alex was on bed rest. And he absolutely hated it. 

Alexander had never been the type of kid to hold still. From the moment he learned to crawl he was off and he hadn't slowed down since. Whether it was his body moving or his brain, Alex hadn't stopped since the time he got started. 

Now though, he was being forced to. By a doctor. In a clinic that wasn't really a hospital but close enough to one to make Alex uncomfortable. The three things he hated most in the world, all in one place. 

The only good thing was that Lafayette was with him. Day and night Laf stayed by Alex’s side, sometimes curled up in bed beside him and other times in the chair next to his bed. Laf hardly left Alex unless he had to. They would talk and watch tv, work on Laf's English and make jokes in French about things they overheard and saw throughout the day. Martha had brought them a deck of cards at Lafayette's request and the younger boy had spent an entire day teaching Alex various card games his father had taught him growing up. 

Sometimes they would talk about what they were going to do when Alex got better, where they were going to go now that their home in New York was filled with bad memories and they were hours away from the only city they knew. A somber mood always followed these conversations, and so both boys tried to avoid them as often as possible, pushing the thought to the back of their minds as far as they could. 

Most days they would just talk. Talk about their lives, about growing up and the stories their parents told them. They would talk about the future, what they wanted to be when they got older and the change they wanted to make along the way. They talked about everything they could think of, anything to pass the time, and they talked about how no matter what happened they would always be together. 

And sometimes they talked about everything they had been through together in the past few months. The memories they made, the struggles they went through, the things they saw. In such a short period of time a lot of happened, enough memories made to fill up years worth of time. Enough had happened that neither boy could remember all of it, and thinking back on the time gave them back memories they had long forgotten.

It was these memories they were talking about one afternoon, as they sat across from each other, Alex on his bed and Laf in a chair beside it, cards placed neatly between them, playing a game he couldn’t remember the name of, but it was one he was at least quite familiar with. He learned the game back in Nevis, from the same man who had once taught him to speak French. They would play it after Alex finished his work for the day, and chat in French about all that was happening on the little island and anything else that would come to their minds. 

Alex never got very good at the game, which was evident in the fact that Lafayette was currently kicking his butt as they played, but even still he was thankful for all the time he spent playing it. If he hadn’t, he might have never gotten so well at French, and if that hadn’t happened he may have never met Lafayette. 

And speaking of meeting...

_ “Do you remember the first time we met, Lafayette?”  _ Alex asked curiously, studying Laf over top of his cards as his own memory of the day came flooding back. It had only been a few months but still it felt like a lifetime when you realized how much of them had changed since then.

_ “Alexander, I will never forget the first time I saw your face.”  _ Lafayette replied almost immediately, looking up from his own cards with a slight grin that grew the second he caught Alex’s eyes staring back at him.  _ “I have never been the same. Intelligent eyes in a hunger pain frame, you are not an easy sight to forget, mon petit.”  _

Alex laughed at Laf’s words, his eyes lighting up in delight when Lafayette called him intelligent, but before Alex could say anything in return, Laf was speaking again.  _ “And when you first spoke, I forgot my own name. You changed everything that day by speaking in my mother tongue. I had long given up hope I would ever again be understood, but you gave that back to me on that day. I will never forget that.” _

_ “I’ll never forget it either. Do you know why?”  _ Alex asked, a gentle smiling spreading across his face when Lafayette merely shook his head no, tilting it slightly as he waited for Alex to explain, intrigued by what he would say.  _ “I’ll never forget it because that day we met was the day I learned how to live again. You made your way into my heart, and have showed me in more ways than one how to be open to this world again. My dear Lafayette, the day we met is the day I learned once more how to love.”  _

Before Alex knew what was happening Lafayette was launching himself at him, cards flying around both of them as he did, knocking them both to the floor from the force, but neither boy seemed to mind. In fact, they both seemed to find the situation quite amusing, for it only took a single moment of eye contact before they both burst out laughing. 

And once they started to laugh, they couldn’t seem to stop. Not even when tears began to roll down their faces, until they were both have sobbing half laughing laying their together. They laughed until no so sound came out, until their stomachs began to hurt and until it became hard to breathe. 

They laughed until they physically couldn’t anymore, and then they laughed some more, until eventually Dr. Franklin had to come in and tell them to quiet down so other patients could rest. He said nothing about them being on the floor or the cards that covered the room, only shook his head at the sight and reminded them as he left that they needed to clean up whatever mess they made. 

It took Alex and Lafayette all of twenty seconds after Dr. Franklin left before they looked at one another and burst into another round of giggles. 

* * *

After a week on bed rest, Alex was allowed out of bed. He couldn’t go far, just around his room and back, but still progress was progress. Alex hated to admit it, but even that short of a walk would often make him tired, the first day was especially hard because after so long of not walking on them his legs were protesting every move. Luckily Lafayette was there to help him along the way, and if Laf noticed how drained Alex was when they got back to the bed he never mentioned it. And though Alex never said it, he was incredibly grateful for that.

* * *

Two weeks after he first woke up, Alex managed to convince both Dr. Franklin and Lafayette that he was strong enough to go outside. Surprisingly Dr. Franklin was the easier of the pair to convince (he thought the fresh air could go a long way in helping Alex recover). Lafayette was more skeptical. He knew exactly how much walking still drained Alex (though he was able to go further each day before the exhaustion hit), but that wasn’t the only reason he was so on edge. Alex’s immune system was still recovering, he couldn’t even be around most patients in the clinic due to them being sick in some way. The outside world was full of disease and things that could hurt his Alexander so easily. And Lafayette was worried for him.

Still, Alexander was Lafayette’s one weak point. Laf would do anything to make Alex happy, to see his face light up in joy, with a smile that covered his face and caused his eyes to almost sparkle. Lafayette would do anything for Alexander, anything in the entire world. Especially when Alexander dared to break out the puppy dog face.

* * *

“ _ Alexander! Take it easy!”  _ Lafayette scolded, reaching out to catch Alex quickly as he stumbled going down the stairs too quickly, his legs not moving as fast as he thought they were.  _ “You are going to hurt yourself and then what will I do? You are still recovering mon petit, you cannot rush it.” _

_ “I know Lafayette, but I can’t help it! I’m just so excited to be outside once more!”  _ Alex laughed happily, stepping away from Laf and throwing his arms out, spinning in a slow but dramatic circle as he said  _ “Look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now.”  _

_ “You will not be alive much longer if you keep this up.”  _ Lafayette replied dryly, grabbing Alex’s arm when he stopped spinning, knowing very well that if he did not the boy would fall flat on his butt.  _ “Dr. Franklin said you may come outside but if you hurt yourself I will not let you back out of the clinic until you are completely healed.”  _

_ “You’re no fun.”  _ Alex pouted, crossing his arms the best he could with Laf still hanging on to him, but followed along easily enough as Lafayette led them down the sidewalk in front of the clinic, moving at a slow enough pace that he didn’t have to worry about Alex tripping on legs that were still getting used to prolonged movement again, but fast enough so that hopefully they would be able to make it back to the clinic before Alex become too exhausted. 

Halfway down the sidewalk Lafayette got distracted in a story Alex began to tell and didn’t notice when the boy changed their course towards a little park across the street instead of back towards the clinic as Laf had planned. Alex’s story was about his mother, and how they used to take walks like this every Sunday, just the two of them, from the time that he was old enough to walk up to the time when they both became too sick to move. It had been their thing, a reminder that no matter how bad life got for them, you could always rely on Nevis to stay the same.  _ “After she died and I got better, I would still take those walks around Nevis each Sunday. Tracing the same route she always took me on. When everything else around me fell apart and I was alone, that route never changed. All the sights I had seen with here, all of them were still there, still the same as they always were. Nevis didn’t change, even when my entire world had. It was comforting.” _

Alex sighed, the thought of Nevis and the mess he had left behind their weighing heavy on his mind.  _ “Well, Nevis never changed until the hurricane. After that, nothing was the same. Nothing left on the path we used to walk except destruction.”  _

_ “It’s not your fault Alexander.”  _ Lafayette whispered softly, wrapping a comforting arm around Alex’s shoulders and pulling the smaller boy towards him carefully, frowning just slightly when he noticed the change in Alex’s breathing. It was much heavier than it had been when they started, and when Laf looked down he noticed the exhaustion clearly present in Alex’s eyes.  _ “You need to rest mon petit lion. Come, we should almost be back now.”  _

Lafayette looked up, expecting to see the clinic just feet ahead. Instead he was met with the sight of newly blooming trees, of green grass and a surrounding that was decidedly not the street outside the clinic. Lafayette raised an eyebrow, tilting his head slightly so that he could look down at Alex, only to be met by the sheepish smile the boy was giving him.  _ “I wasn’t ready to go back yet and the park looked like such a nice place, I thought we could just walk through it and come out on the other side without you ever noticing.”  _

_ “Alexander,”  _ Lafayette sighed heavily in disappointment, and Alex ducked his head embarrassed, muttering a soft sorry Laf hardly heard, but one that shattered his heart. Lafayette’s face softened, and on instinct he tilted his head enough that it was resting gently on top of Alex’s, and he placed a light kiss there.  _ “I am not upset with you mon petit. You have been through very much in the past few months, I cannot blame you for changing paths as you did. But you are not strong enough yet to go this far. You are still sick.” _

_ “I'm tired of being sick!”  _ Alexander exploded, taking a step away from Lafayette in frustration, stumbling just slightly as he threw his hands up, and Laf watched worriedly as Alex took another few steps back so that they could look at each other easily.  _ “I'm tired of taking it easy, tired of resting! I want to be better now, not in three weeks from now. I just want to be myself Lafayette.” _

_ “I know Alexander.”  _ Lafayette said gently, stepping towards Alex slowly until he was close enough to gently placing a hand on each of his shoulders, waiting until Alex relaxed under the touch before he pulled him into a hug.  _ “I know. I want nothing more than for you to be better this instant. I hate seeing you like this, you are meant to be free and not trapped in one spot, but you will never get better if you don't allow yourself time to heal. Pushing yourself this way will only cause you to stay sick longer.” _

_ “I know.”  _ Alexander grumbled, crossing his arms and pouting slightly in a way that only made Lafayette laugh in response as he placed a light kiss on the top of Alex’s head, which only caused Alex to pout further in protest, turning his head away from Lafayette, and in the process of doing so caught sight of a bench not very far from them. Instantly he perked up slightly, turning back to Laf with his best innocent look before asking  _ “If I promise to rest on the bench over there, can we stay outside for just a little longer?”  _

Lafayette looked from Alex to the bench and then back again, raising an eye at the older boy when he asked  _ “You promise me you are going to rest and not try to do anything stupid?”  _

Alex nodded earnestly in response, adding quickly  _ “Cross my heart and hope to die.”  _

Lafayette snorted.  _ “Not very reassuring considering you always wish to die, mon petit.”  _

Alex smiled, laughing slightly because of course it was true, in a sense. He did have a strange fascination with death. 

_ “Please Lafayette?”  _ Alex asked after a moment of silence and Lafayette sighed in defeat, knowing there was no way he could refuse a request that would make Alex so happy.

_ “You know one day my inability to say no to you is going to lead us into trouble.”  _ Lafayette warned, and Alex’s face lit up brightly as he laughed, nodding his head. 

_ “I know.”  _ Alex giggled, pulling Lafayette happily over to the bench, realizing only when he sat down how tired he actually was. Alex muffled a yawn, much to Lafayette’s amusement, and after a moment moved so his head was resting on Laf’s shoulder. 

Beside him Lafayette smiled fondly, and he smoothed Alex’s hair back from his face as the younger boy’s eyes slowly began to close. Laf shook his head, and asked in a soft but amused tone  _ “What am I going to do with you Alexander?”  _

_ “Mhhm, with any luck, keep me around a long time.”  _ Alex muttered sleepily, and Lafayette laughed in quiet agreement, pulling the smaller boy closer to him and placing a soft kiss on his head. 

_ “Always.”  _

* * *

Three weeks after Alexander first woke up, he got news that would change his life forever.

It came unexpectedly. One afternoon after a particularly long walk through the park (Alex had made it the entire way through without getting tired once!), Alex was sat in his bed curled into Lafayette’s side, nearly asleep as the other boy flipped through the tv channels, trying in vain to find something on. Lafayette was just about to give up looking and suggest they watch a movie instead when he flipped to a channel playing the news. 

“...Two weeks ago, President Obama first made comment on this letter that he received from a young immigrant, asking him for help after his island was destroyed in a hurricane.” On the screen beside the reporter popped up Alex’s letter, the same messy handwriting he had sent it in all those weeks ago. Surprised, Alex sat up quickly, his eyes wide as Lafayette turned the tv up, and the reporter continued. “The letter touched the hearts across the country, and in the past couple of weeks since then thousands of volunteers have come together to raise funds and supplies to send over to help Nevis. This morning the first plane of volunteers took off to help the people of the island start to rebuild their homes. We’ll be coming to you live from Nevis tonight with more coverage of that, but for now I’m sure we can all say that we hope for the best for Nevis, and thank you to the person who first wrote the letter to save them.” 

Commercials came on then, and quickly Lafayette turned the volume down again on the tv. He hadn’t understood every word from the reporter, but he understood enough that he could piece together what has happening, so he wasn’t surprised at all when he turned and saw Alex still staring at the tv with wide eyes. For a moment he didn’t say anything, but then 

_ “He got my letter.”  _ The words came out hardly above a whisper, cloaked in awe and disbelief and at first Lafayette wasn’t sure Alex spoke at all, until louder he repeated  _ “The President of the United States got my letter.”  _

Alex laughed in disbelief, running a hand down his face. This couldn’t be happening. This had to be a dream right? This couldn’t be real.  _ “This is a dream. It-It has to be.”  _ He paused, shaking his head, eyes wide.  _ “I can’t believe this, he actually got my letter.”  _

Then Alex buried his face in his hands, and concerned Lafayette gently placed a hand on his shoulder, asking  _ “Alexander are you okay?”  _

There wasn't an answer for a moment. And then 

_ “They got my letter!”  _ Like a switch had been flipped, the reality of the news hit Alex and suddenly he was beaming brighter than Lafayette ever thought possible.  _ “Lafayette, they got my letter! I did it!”  _

Alex jumped off of the bed, walking to the middle of the room practically vibrating in excitement before he began to jump up and down, laughing and squealing in delight at the news. 

From the bed Lafayette watched, giggling in amusement as he watched Alex, having never seen so much joy contained in one person. It was priceless, and perhaps the best thing Lafayette had ever seen in the world. 

Alex noticed Laf staring and rushed across the room to him, grabbing his arm and pulling him quickly to the middle of the room, spinning them both around as he laughed, and Laf smiled fondly.

_ “I am very proud of you Alexander.”  _ Lafayette informed the boy when they stopped spinning, pulling Alex into a quick hug because he knew he couldn't hold still for very long.  _ “And I told you you could do it.” _

Alexander laughed louder at Lafayette’s words, his eyes sparkling in pure joy and perhaps a few unshed tears that he quickly wiped away before they could fall and ruin his mood.  _ “I never thought this would happen Lafayette. My letter, my words, they're convincing people to save Nevis.” _

_ “No, you did.”  _ Lafayette said quietly, placing a careful over Alex's heart as he continued to bounce in front of him, a fond smile on his face.  _ “You saved Nevis Alex. You and your brilliant, brilliant mind.”  _

This time tears really did fall when Alex laughed, but he ignored them, instead smiling up at Lafayette through blurry eyes to whisper  _ “Thank you for believing in me.”  _

_ “No, thank you Alexander. For finally believing in yourself.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the happiest and cutest chapter I have ever wrote and I hope you loved it because I loved writing it. 
> 
> Now then, on to a few things.   
> First off I'm so so sorry it's been a few weeks since I've updated, life has been really crazy and stressful for me in the past few weeks and I really wanted to have this be a very pure and happy chapter, so finding the right mindset to write it was a little difficult.   
> Next chapter probably won't be up next week, but should be up the week after that if all goes as plan and nothing else happens.   
> Regardless know that I'm not giving up on this story, and I think you for being patient with me through all of this. 
> 
> Speaking of this story, we are down to the wire here folks. There's only two more chapters left for this story, I've got them planned out and ready to go, it's just a matter of finding time to write them. 
> 
> Don't be alarmed it's almost over though! This series is set to contain over twenty more stories, most of which will focus on Alex and Lafayette, but some of them will branch out into other characters, including a three book storyline for Thomas and James. The next story is going to be a direct sequel to LAWWS, I'll reveal that title in the last chapter just to avoid any spoilers. After I finish that one though I'm going to work on a prequel of sorts I have planned for Aaron Burr entitled "Wait For It", before we move on back to our boys in the present time. 
> 
> So yeah, there's lots to do and we won't be saying goodbye to our dear Alexander and Lafayette any time soon, though we are nearing the end of a chapter of their lives. We have only scratched the surface on their relationship, and as time passes and things change, it's going to be exciting to be able to really explore how deep their bond is, and the effect it and their past has on their lives.


	7. Save Your Strength And Stay Alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and Lafayette are going home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this? An update at a decent time of day? I'm as surprised as you are! 
> 
> Warnings in this chapter for descriptions of violence, blood, you know things like that. Nothing too graphic I don't think, but lots of blood.

Alex was restless. As much as he enjoyed the shelter and security that came along with staying at the clinic with Dr. Franklin, he missed the freedom and the comfort that came from living a life he had known for most of his life. The clinic was nice, but Alex couldn’t help but feel like he was living on borrowed time there. Like at any moment Dr. Franklin might decide to kick them out or turn them in, or else in some other way cause them to be pulled apart and shoved into a world neither of them knew how to live in anymore.

Besides, the clinic wasn’t home.

And Alex really, really wanted to go home. To the little bridge they had built their life under, in the city he had grown to love more than anywhere else in the world. Alex wanted to go back to the life he and Lafayette had, the freedom to come and go as they wanted, the comforting feeling of knowing that no matter what happened they would always have each other. That out there, no one could tear them apart.

It was home. It was their home, a place where love had been found and lives had been changed, for better and for worst. A place they could just be themselves without fear of judgement or discovery of who they were. Alex missed it. He wanted to go home.

Luckily for Alex, Lafayette seemed to miss their little house, the life they had built there, seemed to miss it just as much as Alexander did. As days stretched into weeks of living inside the clinic, confined by four walls and rules that they had no control over, Lafayette eventually started to become just as restless as Alex to be returned home.

Lafayette, though, refused to go anywhere until he was sure Alex was healthy enough to survive when they did. He didn’t want to chance losing the only person he had left in the world by leaving before his body could handle it. So, they stayed, spending as much time as they could in the nearby park, until Alex either got too exhausted to be out any longer, or the sun fell from the sky and Dr. Franklin would come herd them back inside. With every day that past it became harder to return, but Lafayette knew they had to. For Alex’s sake.

* * *

Even with how much they hated it there, time seemed to fly in the clinic. People came and went, patients who were never as sick as Alex would come in and be sent out again most of the time in a matter of days. Martha and Dolley had left Pennsylvania already, to head west on a trip to drop Elizabeth off with her aunt in San Francisco, who had finally after months been able to contact her and agree to take her in. They stopped at the clinic to say goodbye to the boys before they did, offered to take them along for the ride, but Alex was still healing and besides, they had a home waiting for them back in New York. So they parted ways, and still Alex and Laf were left at the clinic waiting.

Outside winter faded into spring, flowers bloomed on trees, the grass was green, and slowly it was as if life was being breathed into the world again. March turned to April, and before either of them knew it six weeks had gone by, and Alex was finally, finally ready to return home.

He still wasn’t as strong as he had been before. The malaria had taken a lot out of him, leaving Alex’s body permanently damaged. The years of malnutrition he had faced as a child didn’t help any, and Dr. Franklin thought it likely that Alex would never 100% recover. But he had reached 85% recovery, which was more than ever hoped for, and so finally Dr. Franklin dubbed Alex well enough to leave.

Or rather, Dr. Franklin had realized Alex and Laf’s increasing restlessness in the clinic and had decided that the benefits of keeping them there any longer did not outweigh the negative effects of the stress that was caused by doing so.

Of course, he still had his reservations. Alex was still recovering, an illness as simple as the flu could have detrimental effects on his body if he wasn’t treated quickly enough, and the likelihood of that happening living on the streets were far too low for Dr. Franklin’s liking. Not to mention he wasn’t 100% sure if the malaria treatment had been completely effective in removing all the virus from Alex’s body. It had already failed to do so once, if the medicine failed again and Alex found himself struck by the virus a third time, Dr. Franklin didn’t have high hopes for his recovery, especially if treatment was not given immediately.

So naturally Dr. Franklin was worried about allowing the boys to return to their life on the streets, had spent many days hoping to find a better solution, but no matter what he did it was clearly Alex and Lafayette both would not be happy until they were back “home” as they called it. They didn’t trust other adults beside him, hardly trusted any other human period besides each other, and both went on the defensive should anyone get too close until they moved away. It would be impossible to place them anywhere they’d be safe, and Dr. Franklin knew he couldn’t keep them forever locked away in his clinic. It wasn’t healthy for two growing boys.

It was the hardest decision Dr. Franklin ever had to make, but when Alexander and Lafayette both lit up like the sun when they were told they could finally go home, he knew he had made the right one.

* * *

Getting Alex and Lafayette back to New York was easier said than done. For one thing, they were 2 hours away from the city, and though Dr. Franklin had contacts in the city that brought him kids such as Sybil, they only traveled his way when they had a kid to bring to him. Kids came in at a steady flow, but still there was no guarantee when someone from New York would come in. It was all a guessing game.

The other problem, and perhaps the biggest one, was Alex’s health. In order for Dr. Franklin to be able to comfortably release Alex from the clinic, the boy needed to first past a series of test, proof that his body would be able to hold up outside. They also needed to be able to set up a way for Alex to return monthly to the clinic so they could make sure his malaria had not shown up again, and they also needed a way to make sure Alex was properly taking care of himself. This meant that he would eat enough, sleep enough, and in no way over exert himself, lest he endanger his health again.

Lafayette swore to make sure Alex was well taken care of, which solved one problem at least with minimal effort. They both promised to do whatever they could to get back there every month, and Alex swore that if he started feeling bad he would let Lafayette know so they could come get help. Under normal circumstances Dr. Franklin would be inclined to see these types of promises as empty lies, but these were far from normal circumstances, and he knew as good as anyone that Alex and Laf would sooner die than live a life without one another.

So, he took their word, and a few days later the last of Alex’s test had come back with results well enough that Dr. Franklin would officially deem him healthy enough to be Homeward Bound.

Then it was all a matter of waiting for a ride to take the boys back into New York City, so that they could finally, finally go home.

Luckily for Alex and Lafayette, their chance came just a week after they first got the news they’d be going back.  

And by a twist of fate it just happened to be Sybil who got the chance to take them home.

And so, in the same car they had first arrived in Pennsylvania in, they rode out of it once more. Only this time Alex was sitting up, his face practically glued to the window as they drove, trying to take in as much of the surrounding landscape as he could. And this time, the only tears that fell from Lafayette’s eyes were ones of pure joy, when for the first time in almost two months, he caught sight of his beautiful New York City.

* * *

They were home. After two months of being away, finally they were back where they belonged.

Not much had changed. The bridge looked the same as ever. Abandoned, worn down and old, almost out of place. The grass beside the side of it might have been a little taller, but the writing was still as present as ever on the inside wall of the bridge. Their rules were still stuck to the wall right where they left them, hanging over the small box Alex had found where they kept their food. The food was all gone, the only trace it had been there being a few crumbs, and a handful of bugs that Lafayette set free on the grass beside them. Their names were still there, written on the pillar by which they slept, along with a small heart Laf had drawn and the anchor Alex had added to link them together.

The top of the bridge was just the same too. Same flickering lamp post, same loose railing and worn road. Same beautiful view of New York City, of the sun slowly setting over it as Alex and Lafayette sat in the same spot they always had, watching it sink. The gentle breeze was blowing Alex’s hair behind him, his arm wrapped carefully around Lafayette, who sat with his head resting on Alex’s shoulder. Neither of them were speaking, there was no need for words between the two of them. Not at a time like this, and not ever, for when you know a person as deeply as they did, you knew there were some moments words could never explain.

They sat in silence watching the sun as it set, tracing the colors in the sky until the last of them disappeared, replaced by the glow of the moon and the stars and beyond them the lights of the city, of  _ their  _ city.

Alex said nothing as Lafayette began to cry quietly beside him. Just tightened his arm around the younger boy, pulling him impossibly closer before gently resting his cheek against the top of Laf’s head, and using his spare hand to grab on of Laf’s larger ones. Fingers intertwined they stared out at the city, no noise except the occasional sniffle from Lafayette as he cried.

There were no words passed between them. There was no need for words between them. There never was.

* * *

It took no time at all to adjust back to life in the city. So much had changed, so much between them had changed, but coming back to their bridge was like coming home, and in a matter of days they had fallen into a new routine as easily as if they had never left. Alex would go out every couple of mornings to get food as Laf slept, just as they always had. They would eat breakfast, and then work on making themselves presentable for the world, just as they always did. Only instead of going to school like they used to, Alex and Laf would now spend their days doing different things.

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays they would practice Lafayette’s English, either at their “house” or around the city, building up both his spoken and written vocabulary slowly but surely. After almost two months without lessons Laf was a little rusty, but he was a fast learner, and with Alex as a teacher he was quickly learning more and more English every day.

Tuesdays and Thursdays were spent practicing self-defense on the little patch of grass just outside of their bridge. Alex wanted Lafayette to know how to take care of himself in case they ever got attacked, and Lafayette was eager to learn because he knew there were still people out there after him and his father. Besides, they both had fun doing it, and it gave them exercise they may not have otherwise gotten. Alex still had to take it easy, but as the weeks passed the practice seemed to actually be helping him slowly build up his strength and energy more and more.

Saturdays were days spent in town. Either at the library or the park, exploring the internet or the free events that would come and go, whilst being equally careful to not be spotted or marked as suspicious by anyone. Luckily no one really payed any mind to two teenage boys wandering around New York City all alone, and it gave them a chance to careful keep an eye on the world without ever being caught.

Sundays were both of their favorite day though. Sunday was a day for rest, a day spent curled together either over or under the bridge, sometimes reading, sometimes writing. Sometimes just talking about their lives and everything that’s happened and sometimes they would just sit together in silence, suspend in the place where no words were needed. They would sit in silence for hours on those days, until finally Lafayette was laying with his head in Alex’s lap, Alex’s hands lost in Laf’s hair as he played with it. Still there would be silence, until final Lafayette would look up at Alex, and Alex would smile down at him in return, leaning to place a soft kiss on his forehead, humming a soft tune that his mother used to sing to him every night. Alex would keep humming until the song ended, his eyes locked with Laf’s until the last notes, where he would break his gaze and sit up, and Laf would follow suit until both of them were standing. Hands would intertwine and they would walk off the top of the bridge, heading back to their “house” together.

* * *

Three weeks pass.

Nevis slowly starts to rebuild itself thanks to the help from the US. Interviews are done with many residents, but no one gives up the identity of Alex. They sent him there to stay safe, and no one wanted to risk seeing him back on Nevis again. They all thank him though, before the subject is changed to something else and everyone forgets all about finding the identity of the mystery boy for the time being.

Alex writes another letter. This one is addressed to the public and submitted to several different papers and TV stations. It thanks the public for everything they’ve done to save his home, and ends by asking the American people to please not forget the lessons learned in Nevis, and asks them to in the future continue helping places like them in need. The letter goes viral in a matter of hours, and someone starts a donation fund to build a memorial in honor of those lost in the hurricane on Nevis. It’s funded in a matter of hours, and by the end of the week work begins near the church to do just that.

Three weeks pass.

Lafayette’s English improves with each passing day, until he can hold conversation in English pretty easily, and can read the language even better. He still forgets words sometimes, may trip or stumble in his pronunciation, but it’s far better than Alex ever thought possible to happen in four months. They still speak to each other mostly in French, they wouldn’t be Lafayette and Alexander if they didn’t, but they don’t have to anymore. They can speak in English if they really wanted to. They just never really wanted to.

Three weeks pass.

April comes and goes. The days slowly start to get warmer. Flowers bloom and trees blossom. Birds appear in droves to lay their eggs, bring their babies into the world. It’s a time of new life and new beginnings everywhere you look. Kids are outside more and more, running through the park or riding bikes through their neighborhoods.

Sometimes kids will pass under Alex and Laf’s bridge, they’ll look up and see the boys sitting there and wave as they pass. Occasionally one will stop and ask if the boys want to join them in whatever adventure awaits them. Alex and Lafayette appreciate these invitations, but they always decline them. Not out of fear, with kids there is rarely any need to fear being caught. Rather, they turn these invitations down because they don’t need to play with other kids. They have no desire to be close to anyone other than each other. They don’t need anyone else.

Three weeks pass and Lafayette and Alex find themselves more relaxed than ever in their little home. For the first time since they met things were finally going right. Nevis was going to be okay, Alex was going to be okay, the weather was warmer and the worries of winter were finally chased from their minds.

Three weeks pass and for the first time in forever, everything for Lafayette and Alex is okay.

But just like everything must, the peace the boys felt was about to come to an end.

* * *

Saturdays were good days to explore the city because there were always people out on Saturdays. Chances of being seen as suspicious fell when it became much less likely you would be seen at all through the sea of tourist and residents of the city alike, who filled the sidewalks and jammed the streets every day, but even more so on Saturday. Maybe because it was the weekend, a time when kids were free from school and the lucky adult had off from work. Saturday was also a good day to go to the city because things were always going on Saturdays, and nothing got people out and about like a good event.

Lafayette liked Saturdays. As much as he loved spending time in their quiet little home beneath the bridge, there was something about the pulsing life of the city that drew him in, bringing him to life in a way he couldn’t explain. Being in the city also made Alex light up in a way Laf had never seen before. Alex thrived off the fast pace and the noise brought along with city life, and Laf would do anything just to see that look Alex got every time they entered the heart of New York City.

Saturdays were good days to explore the city because all the people offered coverage, but they were dangerous days too for the same reasons. It was easy to get lost in the crowd, easy for danger to get hidden among the chaos and the people. If you weren’t paying attention, it was very easy for something to go wrong. For someone to get hurt.

If you weren’t paying attention like Alex and Lafayette weren’t that Saturday afternoon, it was very easy to make a wrong turn in the crowd and end up down an alleyway in a lot of trouble. Trouble like a man with a knife that he pressed against Lafayette’s throat as he grabbed him from behind, pulling him backwards further into the alley, demanding that Alex give him everything he had on him, as fast as he could, before he killed Lafayette.

There wasn’t much on them, most of their stuff was back at their home, and the single bag they carried on them only had a little food, some notebooks, and what little money Alex had been able to find or steal at one point or another. It wasn’t a lot, and Alex’s hands were shaking as he pulled out each item for the man, placing it in the bag he had thrown at his feet.

Lafayette was shaking too, tears rolling down his face as he stood frozen in terror, his eyes locked on Alex has he did his best to unload the contents as fast as possible. When Alex paused for a second to look up at Laf, the man pressed the knife deeper, and Laf whimpered quietly as thin line of blood appeared on his throat, and he heard the man growl “Keep going! Or your little friend here is going to get it.”

Alex tore his eyes away from Lafayette quickly, thinking even as he did that there wasn’t much of a chance of either of them getting out of this situation alive either way. You don’t just mug a person and then just let them go, not when they could just go tell the police and get you arrested. There was no way this man would let either of them escape even if Alex had all the riches in the world to give him.

But maybe... Maybe there was a way he could at least get Lafayette out of this alive, even if it cost him his life in the process. One of them surviving was certainly better than neither of them living, and Lafayette had so much more than Alex to live for. He had a family, a place he could return to in France, with a father that loved him and a grandmother that missed him. Alex, well without Laf he really didn’t have anything.

Lafayette would be okay if he could just get away. And Alex had the perfect plan on how to do that. If it failed it would most likely lead to both of their deaths, but then so would not trying anything, this was the best option they had.

Without warning Alex jumped up suddenly, lunging for the man holding Lafayette, aiming for his face in hopes of disorientating him long enough that Lafayette could get free and they could run.

Before Alex could reach him though, the man struck out, hitting Alex’s arm with the knife and ripping it across, sending Alex sprawling to the floor with a giant gash in his arm. Alex screamed as he landed on the wound, pain erupting from his arm and spreading across his body, making it impossible for him to focus on anything else. At least until he heard

_ "Alexander!"  _ Lafayette’s voice came out strangled and desperate, breaking through the pain induced haze around Alexander long enough for him to see the younger boy elbow the man with the knife sharply in the gut, causing his grip to loosen on Lafayette long enough for him to wiggle away, and make a break for Alex.

But before he could make it even two steps the man had recovered and was aiming the knife at Lafayette, lunging towards him before Alex could manage to get out his yelled warning  _ “Lafayette! Behind you, watch out!” _

But it was too late. The man with knife lunged at Lafayette, catching the knife just below his knee, and using the force of his own fall dragged it down until he hit the floor, and as Laf fell forward in pain the knife pulled itself out just above his ankle. Laf screamed loudly as he fell and panicking the man scrambled to pick up his bag, dropping the knife in the puddle of blood rapidly forming around Lafayette’s leg as he took off, leaving the two boys there, bleeding and alone.

_ “LAFAYETTE!”  _ Alex cried out as the boy fell, pulling himself over to the fallen body of his best friend, trying not to panic as he watched the blood already pouring from his wound.  _ “Oh Lafayette, oh shh, shh mon ami please. It’s okay, you going to be okay.” _

Alex was talking more for his own benefit than for Lafayette’s trying to calm them both in any way he could as he looked around desperately for something, anything he could use to wrap around the wound to at least stop some of the bleeding. He had to stop the bleeding, before Laf bleed out and died.

_ “Alexander.”  _ Lafayette’s voice was weak, but it was enough to cut through Alex’s panic and get the boy to look at him. When he did, Laf slowly lifted his hand so it was resting on Alex’s cheek, smiling slightly when Alex automatically covered it with one of his own.  _ "I did exactly as you said Alexander. I held my head up high." _

_ "I know, I know. Shh."  _ Alex said softly, using his free hand to smooth Laf’s hair as the boy repeated shakily

_ “High” _

_ “I know, I know shh. I know you did everything just right." _

_ "I-I got him in the stomach." _

_ "Shh." _

_ "I was aiming like you said." _

_ "I know, I know. " _

_ "I was aiming-" _

_ "I know, I know." _

_ "– like you said." _

_ "I know. Save your strength and stay alive." _

Laf fell silent then, and Alex froze, fearing for a moment he had died right there and then. But then Laf took in a ragged breath, and even for as bad as it sounded it still flooded Alex with relief because it meant that there was still a chance. Still a way to save Lafayette.

_ “Please stay with me.”  _ Alex begged quietly, looking around to see if he could find anything at all to help stop the bleeding but there was nothing around, nothing that could be used to save Lafayette anyways. Alex sighed frustrated, turning back to look at Laf only to see his eyes slowly closing.  _ “No, no no no Lafayette, you have to keep your eyes open. Please, you can’t go to sleep, not now.” _

Lafayette groaned quietly, but slowly he forced his eyes back open, taking in Alex’s face as the boy stared down at him looking years older with age and panic. Alex, desperate to keep Lafayette awake as long as possible, did the only think of. He began to sing. " _ Us against the world, you and me against them all" _

It was their song, their motto. Their reminder to each other that no matter what happened they would always be there for each other, side by side. It was something they’d sing to each other whenever they needed the comfort. And that’s why even though every word, every breath seemed to hurt him, Laf sung back quietly  _ "If you're listening to these words know that we are standing tall" _

" _ I don't ever see the day that I won't catch you when you fall"  _ At Laf’s response Alex smiled slightly, grateful he was still fighting, still breathing, still living.

_"Us against the world, yeah... its... us"_ Laf's words were starting to fade as Alex pulled him into his arms from off the ground. It was getting harder to breath now, to stay awake. And it hurt. God it hurt so much.

_ "against the world, baby. Us against the world tonight."  _ Alex finished the lyrics through his tears, softly quietly, pulling Laf close to him. Running a hand through his messy hair, trying to provide him any comfort he could. To both of them.  _ "It's going to be okay Laf. You're going to be okay." _

Alex's mind was racing as he held Lafayette closer, listening as the boy struggled for breath, as his heartbeat grew slower. Laf was going to die. He was going to die and it was all Alex's fault. If he had only protected him better, if he had only reacted sooner and gotten to the man with the knife quicker, then maybe, maybe Laf would still be okay.  _ "This is all my fault. I'm sorry Lafayette. I'm so sorry." _

_ "Don't– Cry"  _ Lafayette said softly between gasps for air, using most his remaining strength to squeeze Alex's hand tightly, trying to reassure him that everything would be okay. _ "My– Fault." _

" _ It's not your fault." _ Alexander shook his head, squeezing Lafayette's hand back like it was reflex. It was cold, Laf's whole body was, and Alex drew him closer, trying to share what little body heat he held with the French boy.  Trying to keep him alive a little longer. _ "Please." _

Alex wasn’t religious. He never had been, though his mother would pray every night for him, Alex had just never seen the point of religion. Had never seen the point of praying to someone in hopes they could make your life better. It never worked. The only way to make your life better was by working for it, praying never did any good.

Still, Alex was willing to try anything to save Lafayette. And praying had always seem to help his mother. Maybe, just maybe it could help him too.

"Take the very breath you gave me, take the heart from my chest. I'll gladly take his place if you'll let me, make this my last request. Take me out of this world. God, please don't take Lafayette."

The final words had hardly left Alex’s lips when suddenly light was filling the alley way and so was noise, as three people rushed towards Alex and Lafayette, two of them carrying a stretcher full of medical equipment, the third dressed in a suit too nice to be seen in a place like this.

People were yelling, talking over one another as they dropped beside the boys. Someone told Alex to let go and numbly he did, allowing himself to be pulled back slightly by the man in the suit as the paramedics surrounded Lafayette, saying words that flew over Alex’s head as they rushed to save him.

The man in the suit was talking too, in a quiet, soothing tone as he held Alex gently, making sure that he could still see Lafayette without being in the way. Alex couldn’t understand at first any of the words the man was saying, but his tone was gentle and his touch calming, so he didn’t fight back against him either. There was no point in fighting anymore anyways. Not if he wanted to save Lafayette.

So, Alex let the man in the suit hold him as the paramedics worked on Laf, let him guide him carefully to the ambulance and into a seat after Laf was rushed aboard. Alex sat quietly beside he man and let him wrap an arm around him carefully as they headed for the hospital, the words and sounds flying through the ambulance still passing over Alex’s head but never quite reaching his ears. Everything had happened so fast, he hadn’t had a chance to process it and for a moment Alex felt as if his brain might be shutting down on him as a way to cope.

But then out of nowhere, words broke through Alex’s haze, and like a cold shock back to reality he froze as he heard the words “I can’t find a pulse!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry. 
> 
> Parts of the end of this chapter are directly pulled from the original version of this story, everything from the attack on is basically the same as the original just rewritten so that it sounds a lot better. 
> 
> I'm sorry for hurting them so much. 
> 
> Next chapter is the last one, and just as in the first version it's going to be called "Is He Going To Survive This?"   
> It'll be similar at parts to that chapter as well, but again rewritten and changed slightly to fit the new story line.   
> If you hate the ending of this chapter, I imagine you're going to hate the ending of that one more.   
> I'm sorry. 
> 
> I'll see you guys next week.


	8. Is He Going To Survive This?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are moments which mark your life. Moments when you realize nothing will ever be the same and time is divided into two parts, before this, and after this.
> 
> This was one of those moments.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end guys. I don't want to get into anything long winded before the chapter because I know we're all anxious to see what happened to Lafayette, but I did want to add this note here before you started. 
> 
> My intent when I started to write this story was to create something that would explore some of the darker things in life, things that stories don't often address or they gloss over. I wanted to create something different from what I had read before, a story that pushed the limits on my knowledge and made me learn more about the way the world works. I wanted to stay as close to reality as I could when writing this story, which is why the ending of this story in particular is the way it is.  
> Because life sucks okay? It isn't always fair, sometimes bad things happen and we have no control over them.  
> For minors life can suck even more, because they are often at the will of their guardian and what they want, especially when it comes to medical decisions, and adults rarely listen to what the kid wants. 
> 
> There will be a happy ending for Alex and Lafayette but it won't be in this book.  
> I'm sorry to those who expected there to be, and I hope you understand why I chose not to write it that way.

This couldn’t be happening. 

Those words were running through Alex’s head on a continuous loop, the only solid thought his brain had been able to form in the past few hours. Ever since the ambulance, ever since Laf’s heart stopped and he was whisked away into the hospital to save him, the only thing Alex could think is that it couldn’t be happening. This couldn’t be real. They were supposed to be okay, supposed to be together forever. It was meant to be Alex and Lafayette against the world, safe in their little home under the bridge, the two of them safe, together forever, never able to be pulled apart. This couldn’t be happening, this wasn’t supposed to happen. 

Alex pulled his legs closer to him in the hospital chair, trying desperately not to start crying again as he sat in the waiting room next to the man in the suit, just waiting on news for Lafayette. The cut on his arm had been cleaned and stitched and now rested on top of his knees wrapped in a bandage that looked far too white against the blood that still covered him. The man in the suit had tried to convince him to wash up a bit and change out of his ruined clothes, but Alex refused to go anywhere until he was sure Lafayette would be okay. For almost three hours he had been sitting in the same spot in the waiting room, his eyes trained on the door, waiting for the doctor to walk through at any moment with news on how Laf was doing. The last Alex had heard Lafayette was heading into emergency surgery to try and fix his leg, anything could have happened in the time that passed. Anything. 

Beside Alex sat the man in the suit. Alex wasn’t exactly sure who he was or why he was still there, but there was something comforting about his presence there, like he was shielded from harm so long as the man in the suit was there. Already he had helped Alex out so much, with getting information on Laf’s condition and getting Alex stitched up, shooing away police officers that wanted to bombard the boy with questions and making sure every so often that Alex was still okay. Alex had yet to speak to the man in the suit, but he didn't seem bothered by it, instead he let them sit side by side in a comfortable silence, one he only broke every so often to check and make sure Alex was okay, and that his arm wasn't causing him too much pain. They had given him some medicine to help with that, but within five minutes Alex had thrown it back up again, meaning that the only thing holding the full force of the pain back was the adrenaline still coursing through his body from the attack. Once that wore off the man in the suit knew Alex would likely be in a lot of pain, which is why he checked every so often to make sure it hadn't yet settled in. So far, it seemed, Alex was still okay. 

Three hours passed with little words spoken between them, until finally after what felt like an eternity of waiting, a doctor walked through the doors. After looking around for a second her eyes settled on Alex and the man with the suit, and she began walking towards them with quick strides. Alex’s heart leapt into his throat and he quickly rushed to sit up straighter in his chair, putting his legs down in front of him, ready to take off if he heard news that indicated Lafayette needed him. The doctor came to a stop in front of them, but before she could say anything words were spilling anxiously out of Alex’s mouth. “Where is Lafayette? Is he okay? Is he alive?” 

“Is that the name of the boy who was brought in with you? Lafayette?” The doctor asked Alex, not at all looking bothered by the interruption, in fact she seemed to find it almost endearing how anxious and impatient Alex was to find out anything. Alex nodded his head quickly in response and the doctor smiled, asking in return “And what’s your name?” 

“Alex.” He replied quickly, and the doctor smiled a little more, crouching down so that she was on the same level as Alex was.

“Well Alex I’m Dr. Robbins. I’m the one who’s been taking care of your friend and trying to get him to a place where he is safe. It took little bit of work, so I’m sorry you had to wait so long, but Lafayette has been brought out of surgery now and they’ve taken him to a little room to recover. He’s still asleep right now, but I promise I’ll let you see him when he wakes up.” Dr. Robbins voice was hardly above a whisper as she spoke to Alex, like she knew the boy needed to hear her words in soft tones over loud ones. But even the softness of her voice couldn’t stop her next words from hitting Alex like a sharp slap across the face. “There’s something I need to tell you though before you go see your friend. The wound on his leg, it was caused by an immense force, and when the knife was dragged through his leg as it was, it left behind a lot of damage. We tried to do everything we could to fix his leg, but he was losing more blood than we could put back in him and the injury was severe enough that we knew it would be next to impossible to save. Eventually we had to make the call to save his life, he would bleed out if we didn't do, so we made the call and, we amputated Lafayette’s leg. We saved as much of it as we could, including the knee thankfully which will make things for him a little easier in time, but I'm afraid the lower half of his left leg is gone. Once Lafayette wakes up and is feeling better we can talk more about his options, but I wanted you to be aware so it wouldn't be a shock when you first saw him.” 

Alex stared wide eyed at Dr. Robbins for a moment, the information reeling in his head and causing tears to start pooling in the corners of his eyes as it settled in what all of this meant. Lafayette was alive still, it seemed like he was going to be just fine, except that the attack had left him with only one leg. He was alive, but there was no way he’d be able to survive out on the streets now. They were trapped. 

Alex swallowed back the tears harshly, quickly wiping his eyes before he asked Dr. Robbins in a shaking, pleading voice “Can I see him please?” 

Dr. Robbins smiled at Alex sadly, but nodded her head before standing up and motioning for Alex to do the same. “Of course. I’ll take you to him.” 

The man in the suit stood at the same time Alex did, and without saying a word he wrapped a gentle arm around the young boy’s shoulder. Alex, too emotionally drained to protest allowed the arm to rest there, guiding him through the busy halls as his head spun with thoughts and emotions he couldn’t focus on. 

Before he knew it, Dr. Robbins had come to a stop outside of Lafayette’s room, and the man in the suit took a step back as she carefully opened the door, letting Alex step first into the room alone. 

Taking a deep breath, Alex stepped into the dimly lit hospital room, empty of all sound except the steady beat of Laf’s heart on the monitor. In the middle of the room lay Lafayette, in a bed that made him look too young. His hair had broken free from their normal pony tail and now surrounded Laf’s head in a small pool of curls. As Alex stepped closer he brushed a stray one from Laf’s forehead, and the younger boy twitched slightly against his touch, his eyebrows furrowing in worry and confusion. With his good hand, Alex found one of Laf’s, rubbing small circles there to calm him down once more. Without thinking Alex began to hum an old tune his mom once taught him, and Laf’s face softened instantly at the noise. Careful not to hit his arm or Laf’s leg Alex moved so he was sitting on the edge of the bed, still humming as he dipped his head and rested forehead to forehead with Lafayette, eyes closed as he focused on the breathing of the other boy, the constant reminder he was still alive. 

When his song finished Alex slowly opened his eyes, and was surprised to see staring back at him the soft brown eyes of Lafayette. He still looked half asleep but Laf smiled anyways upon realizing it was Alex staring down at him, whispering softly _“Alexander.”_  

 _“Hi.”_ Was the only word Alex could get out, a knot forming in his throat from unshed tears he was trying desperately to keep at bay, though it was a battle he quickly lost when Lafayette replied 

 _“It's good to see your face.”_ There was a slight smirk to Laf’s voice as he spoke, and Alex laughed wetly as he realized exactly what Lafayette meant. 

 _“You almost die on me and the first thing you say is ‘It's good to see your face’?”_ Alex asked, shaking his head slightly at Laf, a fond smile on his face. _“Unbelievable.”_

 _“It made you smile, did it not?”_ Laf asked in return, even his smile looking sleepy as he stared up at Alex, still only half asleep as he struggled to break free of the anesthesia induced haze. _“Besides, you are the one who said it first.”_  

 _“Ah you got me there.”_ Alex conceded, his smile widening just slightly with every word Laf spoke. For a moment longer they stared at one another not speaking until finally Alex placed a soft kiss on Laf’s forehead and sat back up so that he was once again on the edge of the bed, his hurt arm turned away so it was less likely to be hit.

Lafayette followed suit and sat up too in his bed, but as he moved he noticed that something seemed wrong, and a slight frown crossed his face. The frown was quickly replaced with a panicked look as he realized he couldn't move his left leg, couldn't move his foot, couldn't even feel it anymore, like it wasn't even there. Frantically Lafayette said _“Alexander! Mon petit there is something wrong, I cannot move my leg. I have tried but it will not budge. There is something wrong with it Alexander, we need to call the doctor.”_  

 _“Hey, no there's no need to call the doctor.”_ Alex insisted almost instantly, grabbing both of Lafayette’s shoulder and turning the younger boy to face him, catching his attention long enough to whispering _“Hey, deep breaths. It's okay Lafayette, don't panic. You're okay, just calm down. Shhh.”_  

 _“Why can't I feel my leg?”_ Laf half asked, half cried, and Alex gave him the saddest look before whispering softly 

 _“Oh Lafayette. Mon Cher I'm so sorry, the doctors did everything they could but your leg was practically destroyed in the attack, they couldn't save it and you were bleeding out and,”_ Alex gently slipped off the bed, lifting the covers over Laf’s legs carefully as he finished _“They had to amputate your leg to save you. I’m so sorry.”_

For a moment, there was no reaction. Alex tried not to cry as he watched the frightened expression on Lafayette’s face fade to one of pure grief as the weight of the words slowly settled on his shoulders, and he stared at the place his leg once used to be. There was no sound but then, like the start of a summer storm, Lafayette suddenly began to cry, loud, heart wrenching sobs filling the room as it hit him: He had lost his leg. It was gone, part of him had been lost forever and there was nothing he could do to get it back. He wouldn’t be the same, nothing was ever going to be the same again. 

Alex sat carefully back down beside Lafayette as he cried, pulling the younger boy towards him without a word, holding him close as the sobs wracked his body and he grieved the loss of his leg. Soothingly Alex stroked Lafayette’s hair, and as Laf cried into his chest, softly Alex began to sing their song to him. 

* * *

There were good parts and bad parts of every job. Some jobs had more of one than the other, and in a hospital there were some days that held more good news than bad news. Dr. Robbins had seen her share of both good and bad days in her career as a pediatric doctor and surgeon. It was always harder with kids, who always looked too small in hospital beds designed for people much bigger than them. They had their whole lives ahead of them, they had hardly even begun to start to live, and yet here they were in a place no kid should ever have to stay. Delivering good news was always better with kids because of that reason, but it also made delivering bad news that much harder. 

Today had been a bad day for Dr. Robbins. Two of her long-term cancer patients had gotten worse overnight and were now left balancing on the thin rope between life and death. Another one of her patients was in desperate need of a heart transplant in order to keep her alive, but they had found a matching donor and every day the girl was getting worse, it was only a matter of time and though Dr. Robbins was doing everything she could to find a match there was just no luck yet. A teenage boy who was scheduled to have his appendix out tomorrow had to be rushed to surgery early that morning when his appendix ruptured without warning, and though he seemed to be doing fine now, there were a tense few hours where they weren’t sure what was going to happen. 

And then there was Lafayette. A boy who had been rushed into the hospital without a pulse, bleeding out from a major wound in his leg that he had gotten during what the cops could only assume to be an attempted mugging. No one had any clue who this boy or his friend was, meaning they had no records to know what his blood type was or if he was allergic to any medicine, which made it significantly harder to treat him. Dr. Robbins wasn’t there when Laf arrived, but was called down as soon as it became apparent he would need surgery to stop the bleeding in his leg. Lafayette crashed twice during the surgery, and was losing blood fast than they could return it to his body, and eventually Dr. Robbins was left making a decision no doctor wants to make on a child that young in order to hopefully stop the bleeding and save his life before it was too late. Normally amputation doesn’t happen without prior consent, and so the decision weighed even heavier on Dr. Robbins because it had entirely been her call. For better or worse, she had been the one to decide. 

It was the right thing to do, but still Dr. Robbins felt her heart pang for Lafayette as she listened to him cry in grief from outside of his room. Protocol said she should have gone in by now to check and make sure he was okay after the surgery, but she could bear to turn the handle to the door and force herself inside. Not when it would likely only cause Lafayette more distress in return. 

It had already been a bad day for all of them. Dr. Robbins didn't want to make it any worse. 

So, she waited. Listened to the sobs from her spot outside the door, and tried her hardest not let the guilt eat her in knowing she was the one that caused the pain. 

There were good parts and bad parts to every job. 

For Dr. Robbins, this was one of the worst parts. 

* * *

 

Eventually Lafayette stopped crying. His tears dried up and his sobs faded out, and slowly he peeled himself off of Alex, moving so he was again sitting on the bed, back resting against the headboard, what remained of his two legs stretching out in front of him. After a moment Laf beckoned Alex to join him, and without hesitation he did, pressing the uninjured side of his body against Laf’s, hands intertwining between them like second nature. Neither of them spoke for a moment, revealing in the touch of the other beside them. 

Before either of them had a chance to say a word, the door opened, and Dr. Robbins walked in, followed closely by the man in the suit, who smiled gently when he saw Alex but didn't say a word otherwise. Subconsciously Alex moved closer to Lafayette, hooking his foot over Laf’s good leg to further wrap them together in case anything happened. 

And then both Laf and Alex looked towards Dr. Robbins, watching, waiting to hear what she would say next. After a second she began to speak, first checking to make sure Laf wasn't in too much pain before she began to explain in soft words what they would do next for his leg. The only sound that left either boy was Alex’s quiet interpretations to Lafayette, and the quiet hums Laf gave in response to show he understood. 

When Dr. Robbins began to ask questions beyond Lafayette’s injury both boys shut up instantly, casting their gaze down and refusing to answer. Both of the boys knew any information they would give could be used to force them away from one another, and so neither spoke, even as Dr. Robbins did her best to coax some sort of response out of them. But neither of them would give answers and eventually Dr. Robbins decided to stop trying for the time being. She left the room to tend to other patients, leaving now only the man in the suit, who was sat in the chair farthest from Laf’s bed. 

For a few moments Alex eyed the man in the suit suspiciously, trying to decide if he could still trust him or if safety he previously carried with him had now melted away with the questions from Dr. Robbins. But the man in suit hardly seemed to paying much attention to either boy except an occasional glance up from his phone to make sure they were okay, and made no move to indicate he was going to push the two boys into saying any more than what they were ready for. After a while Alex seemed to relax just slightly, turning his head away from the man in the suit to look at Lafayette, who was drifting off to sleep against his shoulder. 

Alex smiled softly at the younger boy, shifting their weight so that Laf could rest more comfortably against him. Laf hummed quietly in thanks, turning slightly so he could bury his face deeper in Alex’s neck. He knew it would be a losing battle to try and fight off sleep now, so Lafayette didn’t bother to try. So long as Alex was beside him he knew he’d be safe, there wasn’t a need to worry with him at his side. With his last bit of consciousness Laf mumbled quietly _“I love you Alexander.”_  

Beside him Alex smiled, placing a light kiss on top of Laf’s sleepy head and replying _“I love you too, Lafayette.”_  

Alex knew come morning there would be trouble. There was so much still left unsaid, so many questions left hanging in the air, about who they were and what was going to happen to them from here on out. What would happen to them next was a question still tossed in the air, clouding their future and Alex knew that whatever happened, it wasn’t going to be easy to deal with. They had spent months avoiding being found to put off the struggles they were going to face in the coming days. 

Alex had no idea what was going to happen tomorrow. But when he looked across the room and locked eyes with the man in the suit, he knew that he at least had someone on their side. Whatever fight he and Lafayette were about to face, they had at least one ally in it.

Alex’s eyes turned back to Lafayette and found his worry drained the instant he saw the peaceful look of the other boy’s face.

They would be okay. Whatever happened next, they would face it together. Alex and Lafayette, against the world, come what may the two of them would be okay. They were in this together.

And nothing could break them apart.

* * *

There was an FBI agent sitting in the waiting room when Dr. Robbins walked through it that night. She would have thought nothing of it, except that when she glanced a second time she noticed that sitting beside the agent was the man in the suit, Senator George Washington. Senator Washington had spent most of the day sitting in Lafayette’s room, keeping an eye on both him and Alex. This was the first time she had seen him leave Alex alone since they arrived here, meaning that there was a high chance whatever the two were talking about concerned Alex and Lafayette. 

And seeing as how they were both her patients, by extent whatever they were talking about concerned her too.

Dr. Robbins crossed the room in brisk steps, catching the eye of Senator Washington when she had nearly reached them. There was a deep frown on Washington’s face as he introduced Dr. Robbins to the agent, a young man named Nathan Hale, adding that Agent Hale believed he knew who at least one of the two boys were.

“We’re almost positive that Lafayette’s real name is Gilbert de Lafayette, the missing son of France’s President of the Senate, Michel de Lafayette.” Agent Hale explained, and for a moment Dr. Robbins couldn’t figure out why Senator Washington looked so upset, because the identification of a mystery patient was always a reason of celebration to her. But then Agent Hale’s face hardened, and he continued on. “This morning outside of the Luxembourg Palace on his way to work, Michel de Lafayette was shot three times. He died on the way to the hospital.”

Dr. Robbins froze in shock as the words settled in front of her. _Dead._ After everything Lafayette had been through today, with almost losing his life and then losing his limb, now he lost his father too? Could the news get any worse?

“When the Lafayette family found out about Michel’s death, they did everything they could to reach Lafayette here in New York. When they couldn’t find him, they reported him missing, we just got the alert for him at headquarters when the police department called and told us there had been a mugging victim that fitted the description of Gilbert. After confirming that the Lafayette you held here was most likely the missing son, we called the Lafayette family to let them know. As we speak Gilbert’s grandmother is on her way over here.” Agent Hale explained to Dr. Robbins, and the frown on Washington’s face grew deeper as he listened to the story a second time. And then when Hale finished speaking, Washington turned to look at Dr. Robbins grimly and added

“Lafayette’s grandmother wants to take him back home to France as soon as she can. She was furious as soon as she learned about the attack, and when we told her that you had to amputate Lafayette’s leg for him to live she demanded he be transferred to a hospital in France.” Senator Washington said, and Dr. Robbins frowned herself. A transfer in the state Laf was in would be extremely risky. It led to high probability of infection or some other trauma that could cause the amputation wound damage and put his health at great risk. Before Dr. Robbins could argue it though, Senator Washington’s face darkened more, and he added “Lafayette’s grandmother also demands that Alex be removed from Laf’s room at once. She blames him for the attack even though none of us have all the details, and says that he is surely a bad influence on her grandson. I tried to tell her that Alex and Lafayette would sooner lose their life than lose each other but she wouldn’t listen. She wants him out of Lafayette’s room by the time she arrived. If not, then she threatened to sue the hospital for making decisions with parental consent.”

Dr. Robbins felt her heart drop as she listened to Senator Washington speak, and she looked back desperately towards the room where Alex and Laf slept tangled into one another. Her mind was reeling with possibilities on how they could get out of this, how she could keep Alex with Laf without ruining the hospital but there was no way. There was no way they could get out of this.

Alex and Lafayette were going to lose each other in a matter of hours.

And they didn’t even have a clue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So  
> That was it. The end of LAWWS.  
> I want to thank all of you so much for coming on this journey with me, we've faced a lot of ups and downs and I haven't always been the best at posting chapters, but somehow we've made it so thank you! 
> 
> Again I'm so sorry to anyone who was expecting a happy ending but I hope you still liked this chapter anyways and that you don't totally hate me for it.  
> Like I said before Alex and Laf will have their happy ending, though it's going to come over the course of several books rather than just one, because that's how life works more often than not. 
> 
> Remeber that whilst LAWWS may be over, Alex and Laf's journey isn't. If you're not already I encourage you to subscribe to the series this story is a part of, so that when the next chapter of Alex and Laf's journey starts you can be there to see it.  
> Look out for "Hamilton Moves Uptown", the sequel to LAWWS that hopefully will be coming to a fan fic site near you next Wednesday.


	9. Hamilton Moves Uptown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> News about LAWWS sequel.

"Alexander’s lost everything.

He's lost his parents, his family, his town, his home. And now, thanks to the whims of his grandmother, Alex has lost Lafayette too.

Alone, broken, and lost, Alex moves uptown with Washington

And tries to live with the unimaginable."

 

The Sequel to LAWWS is here!! So if you're interested in finding out what happens next in the adventures of Alexander and Lafayette then head on over to my profile, it's called "Hamilton Moves Uptown". I promise it's better than the summary makes it sound, I kind suck at writing them. HMU is going to be a multiple chapter fic, so go ahead and subscribe to that if you want, though the best way, of course, to keep updated on Alex and Laf's lives and everything that happens in the LAWWS verse is to subscribe to the series, "And When Our Children Tell Our Stories". Which is a name up for debate but is currently the one I'm sticking with at least. If you don't have an account though or would just rather not subscribe for any reason, LAWWS verse fics will continue to go up every Wednesday unless something happens, at least until I start college in the fall and then the schedule might need to shift some. So you can always come back and hand check every Wednesday if you would like. 

And of course for more updates on all things Alex and Lafayette you can follow me on Tumblr, @Potterhead2468, where I post about my progress and also sometimes just random things about my characters and stories and the world as I build it up. 

And again, thank you all so much for your support throughout LAWWS, I'm so glad you all loved it as much as I did, and I hope you'll continue to join me on Alex and Laf's journey. 


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